Chapter 2 – The Factory

"Hey Urameshi!"

A loud erratic beating came from the front door. It shook in the door frame for a few moments, before Yusuke came marching to it, grabbing the handle and swinging it open.

"D'ya mind?" He hissed at the person on the other side.

Kuwabara blinked from the doorway, before grinning. "Phew. I thought you'd left without me." He stepped inside, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Ya mom not here?"

Yusuke closed the door. "She's at the bar, as usual."

His tall friend nodded. "So ya ready to go?"

"Yeah yeah, gimme a sec." Yusuke turned and walked to his bedroom.

The taller boy followed after him, entering his room uninvited. "Woah..." He murmured as he looked around. "...Ever heard of a vacuum cleaner?"

Yusuke ignored him, opening a closet and pulling out a jacket which he slipped on.

Kuwabara continued scanning the room. His eyes settled on something winking at him from a bedside table. He approached it for a better look. It was a large ornate golden ring. "...Is this your Spirit Gun concentration ring thingy?"

Yusuke glanced over at him. "What do you think?" He walked to his friend's side and picked it up. "Don't really need it anymore. Makes my shots a bit more powerful, but it drains my energy faster."

"I kinda miss those days." Kuwabara smiled. "When we first discovered our power. You had to use that ring, and I had to use that stupid piece of sword. Things were simple back then..."

Yusuke hummed a little and placed the ring back down. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean they were easier. We were weak back then man. But look at us now, we're freakin' unbeatable."

"Yoo-hoo! Yusukeee!"

An accented voice carried itself through the house, followed by a gentle tapping at the door.

The boys glanced in its direction. "Well well, look who's here..." Yusuke approached the door pulled it open.

A blue-haired reaper stood beyond the threshold, draped in a luxurious pink kimono. Her lips curved into a smile.

"Hello dear!"

"Hey." He pointed over his shoulder toward Kuwabara. "We're ready to split."

She glanced over his shoulder and nodded. "Good! Then we have no time to waste." She stepped back and held up her hand, a tall wooden oar magically materialising in her grasp. Her body sat weightlessly atop it like a witch on a broom.

Yusuke closed and locked his door, before striding a leg over the oar and seating himself behind her. He winced a little and pulled at his crotch. "Can't this thing have seats?"

Botan tutted. "Oh be quiet Yusuke, we need to hurry before someone sees us."

Kuwabara took his turn next, and clumsily clambered on behind Yusuke. The oar tilted backwards under the accumulated weight, and he shuffled a little to get comfortable, before grabbing hold of Yusuke's shoulders for support. "Ready!"

Yusuke wrapped his arms around Botan's waist. "Let's go."

She nodded and fixed her eyes to the orange sky. "Hold on tight boys!" The oar began to rise into the air, a current of warm air enveloping the trio.

This seemed to take Kuwabara off guard, and he clutched tightly to Yusuke's shoulders. "W-Woah… are we supposed to be going this fast!?"

"Calm down, we haven't even started moving yet." Yusuke glanced over his shoulder. "And take it easy on the grip man."

Kuwabara released his hold slightly, still looking around frantically. Though he soon began to relax, and his sharp breaths became small chuckles. "H-Hey, this… this isn't so bad… haha... hell, this is fun!"

"LET'S GO!" With Botan's command the oar shot off like a bullet.

Kuwabara was whipped backwards, stopped only by his grip on Yusuke's shoulders. "WOAAHHH!" His mouth fell agape. "OH SHIT, WE'RE GONNA DIIIEE!"

Yusuke turned back with a snarl. "RELAX!"

Kuwabara's jaw snapped shut, silenced by Yusuke's threat. He cleared his throat, taking on a more macho facade, though his knees were still shaking.

The Spirit Detective looked back ahead, peering over Botan's shoulder, watching as they ascended above the clouds. "So we're going to an old factory?"

Botan nodded and tilted her head towards him. "Mhm. It was closed down a decade ago when the company went bust. It's dark and off limits, the perfect place for demons to operate without human detection."

"...Sounds nice."

"Don't be silly." Botan tutted, clearly not catching onto his sarcasm. "I can assure you, it will be anything but nice."

"Yeah. No shit."

"There it is." Botan pointed down below.

It was getting late. The sky had turned dark blue, the only sunlight remaining from the red edges of the horizon. Yusuke could see a fat brown building in the dim light below. It was a square shape, and smaller than he'd expected, alone in a field on the outskirts of the city.

Botan glanced back at him momentarily. "I'm going down. Hold on!" She dipped the tip of the oar downwards, and they began a speedy descent towards the derelict building.

Kuwabara gasped, eyes tearing up from the wind whipping at his face. "Slow doooown!" He gritted his teeth and squeezed Yusuke's shoulders in a vice-like grip.

The Spirit Detective winced, but before he could protest they'd already reached ground level. Botan pulled the end of the oar upwards, halting their descent and leaving them to hover feet above the ground.

Kuwabara scrambled clumsily off the oar, collapsing to the floor, his face buried in grass. "I… I-I'm alive…"

Yusuke released Botan's waist and hopped off the oar. Hands in his pockets, he sent a kick into Kuwabara's side.

The red-head yelped and curled in pain. "Fuuuuuck...!"

"That's for breakin' my goddamn shoulders." Yusuke growled.

Botan stepped next to him with her oar in hand. "Keep it down boys, we need to move!"

Kuwabara groaned loudly, heaving himself onto his feet. His nose and forehead were covered in dirt and grass. "I'll get you for that Urameshi!"

Yusuke smirked and patted his head. "Suuuure. But after we stomp some demon ass." He then set his sights on the factory, making his way toward the only visible door. Botan and Kuwabara followed after him.

He stopped at the entrance with a wide stance. "...Don't you think it's kinda small?" He commented plainly.

"I suppose it is, for a factory." The reaper looked up at the windows. "It was a family owned business. They used to make basketballs."

Kuwabara snorted. "Ugh, basketball..."

Botan glanced at him. "Oh? You don't like basketball?"

The redhead cringed. "I hate it. Coach always makes me join the team cos I'm the tallest in our class. Every Friday I have to go in for after-school practise."

"Aww, that's a shame." Botan tutted. "I'm sure you're good at it though!"

Yusuke glanced back at them. "Yo, can we save the sob story for later?"

"Oh! Of course, sorry Mr Detective! Lead the way!" She held up a mock salute.

He rolled his eyes and reached out to the rusted handle. He turned it and shoved the flimsy door open, creating an ugly creak from the rusted hinges. "Aint locked…" He took a moment to examine the shadow within, before curling his hands into fists and stepping inside. A cloud of dust jumped at his shoes as he entered. He examined the surrounding darkness, unable to make anything out.

"It's dark as hell." Slowly his vision began to adapt to the low light, and he was able to make out the shape of the room. It was a narrow reception room, with a few chairs on one side and a wooden door at the back. The floor was blanketed with dust and the walls were worn and peeling.

He waved a hand to usher in the others. "Come on, it's clear."

Botan and Kuwabara entered, narrowing their eyes in the darkness. Their vision soon adapted too, and Botan pointed towards the door. "That's the only way we can progress." She spoke quietly, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention.

Yusuke nodded and led them to it. As he took the handle he spared a glance to Kuwabara. "Get ready to kick some ass."

The tall boy nodded. "I'm always ready…"

Yusuke held his breath, before turning the handle and pushing it open. He darted in with his hand leveled and index finger outstretched. Kuwabara flanked him with a fist curled at his side, ready to summon his Spirit Sword.

Nothing. Just silence.

Yusuke listened as their footsteps echoed around the walls, and he glanced over the room. They'd entered a warehouse, beams of silver moonlight piercing the darkness through slender windows that lined the tops of the walls. The room was almost empty, except for a few old crates in the corners... and a large spherical object sat eerily in the center.

Botan stepped beside Yusuke "What's that?" She pointed to the black sphere.

He shrugged. "Hell if I know. Maybe they made basketballs for giants...?" He lowered his hand. "...I'll check it out. Cover my back Kuwabara."

His friend nodded. "Got it."

He cautiously approached the ball with Kuwabara in tow.

They stopped just a few feet away, scrutinising it with narrow eyes. It was a solid black sphere, around three feet tall, the moonlight shining crisply off its surface. He placed a hand on it. It was smooth and cold, like polished black marble. It looked dense and benign, though touching it sent a crackle of energy down his spine. Undoubtedly Demon Power.

Kuwabara peered over his shoulder. "…What is it Urameshi?"

"I dunno man. It's got Demon Power in it though, I can feel it."

Kuwabara frowned at the sphere, before stepping forward. "Lemme try."

Yusuke removed his hand and moved aside.

The taller teen closed his eyes and lay his own palm on top. A few moments of silence passed, before he finally opened his eyes and took his hand away. "Feels like the energy is building up. Like a battery or something."

Yusuke nodded and turned back to Botan. "Any thoughts Botan?"

The reaper walked up to them and lifted her shoulders, eyeing the sphere. "I'm not sure. There must be a bigger motive in mind, but I'm not sure what it could be... maybe Koenma will know."

Yusuke nodded again and turned to his friend. "Kuwabara, any idea where the demons are now? They still in here somewhere?"

He shook his head. "Nah, the place is empty. They left some time ago. Just dropped this thing and scrammed."

Botan tapped her chin in thought. "Hmm, how unusual… they must be plotting something."

Yusuke folded his arms. "Well this sucks, I was looking forward to kicking some ass."

Botan smirked. "Don't worry Yusuke, I'm sure there'll be plenty of demons for you to beat up soon. In the meantime, I'll bring this evidence to Koenma, we'll see if he has any light to shed on the matter."

Kuwabara nodded. "And what about us?"

"You two just carry on as normal until I gather new information."

Yusuke sighed. "What a let down…"

Botan grinned and cocked her head. "But I thought you wanted a break from Spirit work?"

"Yeah, well, I'm impatient. When I start a case I wanna finish it."

"Well you'll just have to learn to be patient. I'll bring new information soon, I promise." She turned and began walking back to the door. "As I said, I must consult Koenma immediately." She looked to them from over her shoulder. "But first, let's get you two home."