Dreams are italicized.
"Telepathic conversations are italicized in quotes."

Chapter 3: Wicker

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." - J. K. Rowling

"Excuse me?" She heard a gentle voice offer. "...excuse me miss?" Reds eyes fluttered slightly, opening to reveal Yukina standing before her.

"I brought some food for you," The ice maiden bows, her teal hair elegantly falling by the sides of her face. The young woman carried a brown oaken tray, a simple sandwich with a glass of milk rested on it. Red-eyed at the pale yellow flower in a small vase with interest and nostalgia.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Red offered kindly

"..Do you not like Peanut butter and jelly? Lady Keiko said Americans were accustomed to this food…" Yukina trailed off, disappointment filling her ruby eyes.

"It's not the food. I'm more sure that Genkai said she would quote "beat" anyone who fed me," Red trailed off, tilting her head away from the ice maiden.

"Oh that, " Yukina giggled lightly. "...Do not worry, you may eat," The maiden sets down the tray in front of the rocks, careful not to let her pale blue kimono sleeves hit the floor. "...I will be back to collect the plate soon, would you like me to bring you anything else?"

Red remained silent as a response. As Yukina left the room, closing the sliding door behind her- Red wondered how a demon with eyes like blood rubies was able to keep such a light and airy energy around them. Yukina's energy has felt breezy and calm like a chilly ocean breeze. A memory of a different pair of blood eyes entered her mind, and she had to steel herself from the oncoming emotions. The memory of the heat and the angry aura accompanied with it.

She hated red eyes.

Turning her attention to the pebble before her, she felt a tinge of guilt. There was a chance Koenma was trying to help her, but more often than not with all spirit worlds interactions- he was really just manipulating for a later date. Or a later event. Red didn't believe for a second that King Enma was interested in her well being- because he was not. He was interested in keeping her alive long enough to do more research for him. He was interested in making sure she never used the research for anything against him. Red had been on the run from spirit world for years now. She figured out how to stave off the deterioration but it only gave her more time, not a cure. In order to fix everything she needs to get her soul back, and in order to get her soul back she needed to get back into Demon world.

"...why," Red sighed softly, putting her head in her hands. Flashes of memories went through her head, and her resolve crumbled under the weight. Her resolved sharpened into something else entirely. A whirlwind of options and situations sped through in her mind, and she landed on a deep emotion she tried to bury for years now.

Revenge.

Picking up the pebble, she scoffed lightly at the design. Definitely dated. It wouldn't work. The team didn't need to know that though. Careful rotating between her fingers, she analyzed the small rock and figured out a way to fool the detectives. Red smirked, unclicking her ball from her earring and comparing next to the pebble. Focusing, she clicked the pebble against her crystal earring three times. The pebble glowed three separate colors, red-yellow-blue, before finally resting back into the shade of the pebble. Like promised, the rocks around her lost their intensity- and Red relished in her work.

"Mmmm," Red made a sound of satisfaction. The sandwich weighed heavy in her hands, the taste welcomed in her mouth. "...This sandwich is good,"

/

The following weeks passed slow and unforgiving. The temple was never without at least two detectives to babysit Red, and their growing presence and energies constantly distracted her from work. If the angry and harsh energy from Hiei didn't keep her up at night; then the hectic constantly changing energy from Yusuke did. At least when Kuwabara was around she could breathe in the presence of something vibrant and relaxing. Even Kurama's energy was preferable… at least it was muted and hardly ever changing.

There was a knock at the door distracting her from her thoughts.

"Miss Red, Lord Koenma is here to talk to you," Yukina offered. The young maiden waited a moment, before walking away. The softness of her steps was unique and assured Red she had been alone.

Over the weeks Yukina had been a welcome and comforting presence. Red had learned to enjoy the quiet moments together in the kitchen or small talk around late night tea. Yukina's energy was always a tad chilly, but refreshing and calming. Very rarely had she felt the maiden expand her energy or leave it lingering- Yukina was always polite and friendly that way.

Red sighed over her work, putting down the tiny screwdriver and small wrist bracelet down. She needed to take a break anyway, but dealing with Koenma was taxing and unnecessary. Looking around the room, you could tell she had made herself at home. The whole room was barely lit, books and clothes disheveled everywhere. The only light coming from a small lamp over her workbench where she was currently seated. The workbench was covered in tiny gears and nuts, papers shoved in books and pens laying every way. The oaken stool she was sitting on was covered in a thick comforter, Red rarely ever used the bed to sleep. Opting instead to work until she passed out at her bench. When the next day came she would just repeat the process. Red rubbed her eyes and starred off into her room, settling on the poster hanging on her wall of the solar system. Memories flashed in her head of a little blond girl in braids, excitedly asking her about the planets and the stars...The memory burned in her chest and warmed her heart at the same time.

"Bite me!" She heard a loud yell through the temple belonging to Yusuke. Unfortunate he could be saying that to any number of people, but she was guessing it was in relation to Koenma. She decided to throw on some jean shorts and head downstairs. Opening the door to the hall left her blinded for a second- and when her vision cleared she was met with angry ruby eyes from across the hall.

"Good morning Hiei," She offered blankly. He responded by slamming his bedroom door shut behind him, his energy growing heated. "...or that works,"

"It's well past noon. I'm sure even to most lazy humans are up before you," Hiei stated in an even tone. He continued to walk down the hallway, a trail of heat in his wake. Red fought the urge to wring his neck, remembering Yukina had expressed wanting her to try and get along with him. Red should have known better than to say she would.

The walk to the living room was torturous behind the fire demon. He would constantly flare his energy out to try and stab at her own energy. He had been doing this since she got here to no avail. She had none of her own energy to respond with. Red was starting to believe Hiei was a bit crazy, any normal person would have concluded she was never going to respond.

Or he was just spiteful.

"Red!" Koenma announced when she entered the room. Koenma had on a bright smile, and she responded in kind with a frown. Everyone seemed to be present, all the boys and even Genkai- who felt to be avoiding Red since she got here.

"What is it you want this time?" Red stated blankly.

"Well, I thought you might want to know that a special someone has been seen trying to break the seal to limbo!" Koenma replied brightly and to the point.

"Limbo?!" Kuwabara yelled loudly.

"Yes!" Koenma said. "...Limbo is the place we put souls who either need to time to be judged on or haven't quite made the cut for being "good" or "bad"."

"What's the point?" Yusuke asks. He is leaning against the wall next to Genkai, more solemn than normal Red Notices. He energy feels the same chaotic it is normally, but there is an underlining sadness in it. She ignores it.

"Well… We think he is trying to steal souls, or trying to just simply break the seal to let the souls roam free,"

"And what is the benefit in doing so?" Kurama wonders. He seems relaxed sitting at the other end of the table, Hiei on the windowsill behind him. He is drinking tea Red notices, and the tea feels unusual to her. She cannot tell if its the cup or the actual tea, but something is off.

"As you know souls can be used in a variety of ways. Mostly used for power, they can also be used in abundance to unlock secret areas of spirit that only myself or my father should have access to. As well as the key ingredient for many powerful artifacts locked away in the vault. However, if they simply want to break the seal, the souls released could definitely cause a small amount of chaos throughout the spirit world in till my father can redo the seal again,"

"You can't redo the seal yourself?" Kuwabara asked innocently.

"No, he can't," Red cuts in. "...because he is just a child. Let alone the fact King Enma would never let Koenma learn something like that," Koenma's face turns colors, but he seems to resist the obvious attempt to rile him.

"Why?" Kuwabara seems intrigued,

"Because-" Koenma tries to start

"Because King Enma is a paranoid, egotistical, psychopath," Red finishes.

"Fair," Yusuke laughs in

"No!" The spirit prince echoes. "...my father knows the importance of the secrets. Limiting the ability limits the chances of it ending up in the wrong hands!"

"The wrong hands being your Father,"

"Red!" Koenma fumes. "This is not what we are here to discuss. YOUR ex-lover aka a demon that YOU trusted and let in on YOUR privileged spirit world research is now using YOUR soul and the souls of others to break into limbo with YOUR devices. All the while you are withering away into nothing because you are too stubborn to go back to the spirit world and let my father try to fix you again. All the while you are very literally living off the world around you. ALL THE WHILE the WHOLE UNIVERSE may suffer because of your mistakes,"

The room was quiet afterward. Red could feel the pity coming off of some energies in the room. She decided to instead focus on the angry heat of Hiei's aura instead.

"Your point?" She replied calmly. Yusuke decides to then bust out laughing.

"This bitch," the half-breed laughs, holding his stomach.

"My point is, you and the boys will be going to investigate what the damage is and a way to further impede the progress of them,"

"Who is this guy again?" Kuwabara says, staring at Yusuke in confusion. "...You never did tell us his name,"

"His name is Wicker," Red announces. "...He presented himself as a human researching a spirit like I was. He apparently got passed all the security systems even though he was a demon," She looked pointedly at Koenma. "...Long story short we dated and fucked around and developed some shit together. He actually designed the necklace that, surprise, doesn't work...He came up with the idea of instead sealing me away by using my name- which you obviously know works. We experimented with using energy from the world around us- for some reason, it never worked with him but it worked with me. We thought it was something related to being female but obviously, it was related to him being a demon. In the final stages of one of our projects, we needed to test out the soul- outside of the body. We set all kinds of backups in place, but that was never his intention. I let him take my soul out of me and place it into a necklace. He now carries said necklace. I am now dying. The end. "

"Not the end!" Koenma shouts. Red looks off into the distance, slouching in her seat. "...What we don't tell the researchers is, they are picked for a very specific reason- not because they are unique in their field. They each carry a very unique and very very old soul. Angel souls."

"Wut," Yusuke and Kuwabara say in unison. Even Genkai seems to crack open one eye to pay attention.

"Not all angel souls are recruited into researching. We only keep a number of angels around, and after so many years... You can say we rotate them out. Let them live lives and when they die again, they remember who they are and return to their post. Angel souls are extremely powerful and able to open all seals in the spirit world."

"What the actual fuck," Yusuke echoes. "...You mean to tell me, this bitch has wings and a halo? She gets to go to heaven when she dies and I save the fucking world and I'm probably still gonna burn in hell?"

"Detectives go to limbo," Red offers in a whisper with a sly grin.

"Fuck you!" Yusuke laughs

"Yes in short. Genkai also has the soul of an angel,"

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK," Yusuke yells in honest this time, as all heads whip to Genkai.

"That wasn't necessary," Genkai states calmly, closing her eyes again.

"You're an angel Master Genkai?" Kuwabara shouts.

"No, I'm not, " Genkai replies. "...when I die I will be. Listen to what is being said you dipshits,"

"That is interesting, " Kurama says finally. "...And has many implications towards demons,"

"You can't go around telling everyone," Koenma says seriously, glancing at Hiei. "...It would cause chaos, you are only being told because it relates to the case,"

"And you will promptly be wiped clean afterward," Red finished sarcastically.

"No!" Koenma yells, staring at Red with a heated glare.

"Wiped clean?" Kurama says seriously.

"No, you guys don't go through that-" Koenma tries to start.

"Have you guys ever been healed in the spirit world? Woke up in a hospital room there? Usually did by a team of orange and red orges?" Red offers casually. Glad to get the tension off of her.

"No?" Yusuke says, looking at Kuwabara.

"What are you saying Red?" Kurama asks

"Spirit world has a bad habit of wiping memories, as you know, even of the detectives,"

"No way!" Kuwabara shouts- standing in unison with Yusuke. Everyone seems to look at Koenma in the room, waiting for a reply.

"No," Koenma says seriously. "I have never asked for you guys to be wiped. You have proved yourself trustworthy… besides, Hiei would figure it out," He tries to add in light-hearted at the end.

Hiei is not amused.

No one is amused.

"Prove it," Red offers. She knows it's not possible, but seeing Koenma tense makes her day brighter

"You know I can't," Koenma bites back.

"Hiei could just check right?" Yusuke asks, locking eyes with Hiei on the window sill. The fire demon closes his eyes but offers nothing else in response.

"Yes maybe he could, but it doesn't matter because I have never wiped you. How would that help me when you are solving cases?" The prince is serious.

"You're probably right…" Kuwabara replies, his eyes squinting at Koenma suspiciously.

"This is off topic," Genkai states. "...what's the plan?"

"Well, we have information that Wicker is planning on sending two fo his high ranking officers to help finish the seal," Koenma begins, pulling an envelope out. "...We don't have a lot of info on them, but we do know they are both A class apparitions. As far as their skill sets, we cant offer you anything… but we do know one is a snake demon and the other an electric elemental,"

"Easy," The half-breed grins, his arms folding behind his head. Genkai responds with a smack swiftly to the back of his skull.

"Idiot," the old woman mutters at her old disciple. Yusuke doesn't look even slightly embarrassed.

"So I hope you've been keeping up on your training Red," Koenma eyes her body frame with a slight frown.

"Haha, nope!" Red replies sarcastically.

"What have you been doing all these weeks then?," All eyes move to Red.

"Well…," she trails off. "...working on...stuff,"

"I'll start her up tomorrow," Genkai offers, making a move to stand. "...Does she have any actual experience?"

"I'm right here,"

"Yes don't let her fool you, she is quite skilled in combat," The prince pulls out his own mini telecommunication device and hits multiple buttons. "... According to our records of her, she needs training in endurance and would probably do well to start on meditation. She used to be very good at meditating but I think she has slacked off since losing her soul. Charts indicate her emotional state is fragile,"

"Excuse me, all your info is wrong and secondly, my emotional state is rock solid," Red argues, slamming her hands on the table.

"Since3 the incident Red has not been herself…" Koenma continues as he scrolls through her file on his device. "...Her patience has diminished and been replaced with uncharacteristic acts of anger and bitterness. Where before she was considered a morally correct and happy individual, her loyalties and aptitude for moral justice has been compromised. Unclear if related to the incident or the continuation of having no soul over time. Estimated life-span with no soul- one to two years with no conflicts and six months to a year with conflicts," a hush fell over the room and Red struggled to not lash out at Koenma. She can feel the stare from Genkai.

"Alright! We get to beat the new girl!" Yusuke cheers as Genkai gets up and leaves the room.

"Don't bet on it," Red replies.

"It won't be that bad, I won't let the guys gang up on you," Kuwabara offers in good faith. She knows he means it, but she is still irritated by it.

They all clear out of the room one by one, including Hiei. Red remains seated, eyes focusing on the green ripples in her tea. The conversation replays in her mind. No one seemed to ask what the necklace that failed was supposed to be used for, and for that she was grateful. The tension between her and the other detectives was already thick and suffocating... the added bonus of suspicion and distrust would just be the nail in the coffin. Her experiments for Spirit World were held as secrets- and for a good reason. If certain detectives found out about her hand in their lives... well it would not end very well.

"Oh!" Yukina smiles at Red when she enters the room. "...I didn't think anyone was still In here, I was gonna clean up,"

"Sorry," Red mumbles, adjusting her glasses on her face. "...I'll get outta your way. Just thinking a bit is all,"

"I understand... anything you need to discuss?"

"No," Came the calm answer, palming her green tea in her hands.

"If you say so, I will not push... but if you do not mind me saying, I think its good to talk about your experiences. Not only to help understand them better but sometimes the thoughtfulness of another person helps soothe the ache..." Red could see the paragraphs in Yukinas folder. Bright red ink underlining the names of Yukinas abusers and the average market price of her tears. The interesting information contributed to her race and homeland. Pure bloodlines were hard to come by in any world, let alone Demon World. Red wondered if Yukina or really anyone close to her knew how valuable she really was.

"I agree. But Yukina I am past the point of talking and frankly... not worth even wasting the energy on," The look Red received seemed to be filled with sadness, but across Yukinas ruby colored eyes she could see it plain as day: anger.

There's a little bit of fire in that ice maiden.

I hope this was good enough to read, and not too much droning with the info dump.

We are gonna get training/bonding with the boys for a minute before we start getting into the good stuff / depressing stuff lol.

We will learn a little bit about how Red is using energy in the next chapter since it can't be her own energy.

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