Keiko walked down the street, like she had done every day for the past few years. She looked up at Yusuke's old apartment, sighing sadly.

"When are you coming back, Yusuke?" Keiko asked, knowing full well that, like every other day, her question would go unanswered.

"How does 'now' sound?" A voice came from behind her. Keiko turned with a start, eyes wide. She threw herself at the speaker, hanging on his shoulders and clutching him.

"YUSUKE! Oh, YUSUKE!" Her eyes filled with tears. "I waited, and waited, and waited for you… I'm so glad your back..!"

Yusuke returned her hug. "Me to, Keiko… Hay, how is everyone?"

Keiko let go and stood in front of him. "OH! Well, after you left, Kurama, Heie, Boton, and Yukina all went away. I visit Gen Kai every weekend to get news from the Spirit World, hoping to hear about you coming back. Kuwabara got back into his gang with vigor, but now he just defends people who can't themselves. 'Yusuke ain't here no more, so I gotta pick up the slack,' he says." Keiko turned around, then…

"OUCH!" Yusuke yelped as Keiko slapped him.

"YOU SELFISH INSENSITIVE GERK! YOU JUST HAD TO GET IN TROUBLE AND GET EXILED DIDN'T YOU?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT KIND OF TRAMA YOU PUT ME THROUGH?!?!?!"

She shook, tears streaming. "I go to Gen Kai's one day and hear that Koenma got you under probation, and I've been waiting and waiting for you to appear. And you keep me waiting for a MONTH after your allowed out?!"

Yusuke flinched. "A MONTH?! I only heard about it a few days ago!"

"You expect me to BELIEVE that?!" Keiko yelled.

"He's probably right…" Inuhime said.

Keiko froze; finally noticing the Yusuke wasn't alone.

Inuhime continued. "Even with that barrier down, communication between the Spirit World and the Demon World is still slow. The Demons themselves can be hard to find, and the terrain is difficult to maneuver. And since there isn't a set phone or fax system between the worlds, the only means of communication is by mail or word of mouth."

Inuhime turned a little. "I myself have been one such deliverer. Such communication is still shaky, since both sides don't fully trust each other…"

Inuhime stepped forward towards Keiko slightly. In a stern but kind voice she said, "So be grateful. Messages could take years to get through to the intended recipient. It only took a month in this case, and Yusuke wasn't exactly easy to track down. I heard the deliverer had to beat off some of his enemies before anything could get done."

Yusuke thought back. "Ya, that was a little weird. First I'm beating this group of punks to a pulp, then this girl smacks down over half of the remaining ones and gives me a letter. As soon as I open it, she leaves."

Yusuke smiled. "Kinda freeky. She didn't even ask for a tip!"

Keiko frowned. "Well, I guess I can forgive you this time then. But DON'T think this excuse will work again, ok?"

"Ok, Keiko," Yusuke replied.

"Well, you better go to Gen Kai's Temple, Yusuke. Kurama, Heie, and Boton all went there to wait for you. Yukina is suppost to come too but she can't make it till later."

Yusuke turned, waving behind him at Keiko. "Thanks, Keiko. See you later!"


Inuhime looked lazily at Yusuke as they walked. "To think a punk like you has a girlfriend…"

Yusuke blushed. "She is NOT my girlfriend! She is just a girl who happens to be a friend, ok?!"

"Ya, right…" Inuhime replied, smirking. "That's why you all but made out in the middle of the sidewalk…"

Yusuke blushed harder. "Just shut up…" he scowled as they reached the steps to Gen Kai's temple.


"Your late, Yusuke. You should have been here an hour ago," Gen Kai retorted.

"Cool it, ya old hag! I had to find Keiko first."

"Don't be stupid – you could have easily come here first. Koenma said specifically to come here as soon as you entered the city. There is a reason for that, Urameshi. You have an assignment." Gen Kai pulled out an envelope and handed it to Yusuke.

"What, already?" Yusuke whined as he took the envelope. "What does Koenma want now?"

"Don't be ungrateful. If it weren't for Koenma you would still be banished." Gen Kai sighed slightly.

"That's right, Yusuke!" Boton piped in.

"IS HE HERE YET?!" Kuwabara yelled as he came in. He looked around before he spotted Yusuke. "Urameshi! Finally, your back! What the hell were you doing?!"

"Hay!" Yusuke yelled. "Its not like I was on a picnic ya know!"

Sparks flew.

Inuhime slid over to Boton.

"Are they always like this?"

"Only when they are together," Boton replied.

Kurama interrupted Yusuke and Kuwabara's fight. "Yusuke, would you introduce your friend there?" He asked, pointing to Inuhime.

Yusuke stood up. "Oh, that's Inuhime. She's suppose to keep tabs on me or something…"

Inuhime bowed slightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you-" she was interrupted.

Kuwabara gapped at her, only just realizing she was here.

"Here we go…" Heie muttered, bored.

"Oh, Inuhime! What a lovely sight to behold! You glow like a thousand burning stars in the skies of my heart!" Kuwabara serenaded.

"Cut it out, Kuwabara!" Yusuke yelled.

"Oh, so YOU can pick up chicks from other dimensions but I can't?!" Kuwabara yelled back.

"No, you can't because I WASN'T THERE TO PICK UP CHICKS!"

"Oh, gimme a break! I bet you got with a different girl every night!"

"You take that back!"

"Make me!"

The two of them got into a fight in the middle of the room. Inuhime sighed. "I'm gonna need 3 things for this assignment: A cell phone, a bottle of water, and some aspirin…"

"What do you need those for?" Boton asked.

"I need the aspirin to help with the headaches I'm gonna get, the bottle of water to take it with, and the cell phone so I can call Koenma if I accidentally beat Yusuke to a bloody pulp."

Boton giggled dryly. "I can see why you would need those, then…" She looked at the wrestling match in the middle of the room. "They are defiantly NOT low-maintenance."