Before I get into the actual story, I just need to apologize to my readers for taking so long on this chapter. You see, it has been years since I've really seen the show and it was actually a Teen Titans episode that inspired me to write this story! (Didn't think a YYH story would be inspired by TT eh?) So, before going into anything much farther, I decided to re-watch the series in order to be sure the characters weren't... well, out of character! It is rather important that all the original characters are accurately portrayed! I also wanted to be sure the facts in my story were consistent with that of the series.
As it turns out, I made an error when I started writing this story. For some stupid reason, I was under the impression that the whole series occurred within a year... Silly, right? Therefore, my story should fall five years from the BEGINNING of the series, so I will be readjusting my summary to reflect that.
Disclaimer: blah blah blah, I don't own YYH, just my own characters... blah blah blah...
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Once Kuwabara had made his way to Yusuke's home, Botan escorted the two boys to Spirit World. Now, they stepped inside Koenma's office to find Hiei and Kurama already standing inside. Koenma, in his toddler form, was sitting at his desk stamping papers.
"Thank you for joining us Yusuke." Koenma didn't look up from his stamping as he greeted them.
The four boys waited a few extra moments as Koenma eagerly finished the last few papers of an abnormally large stack he had been stamping. He put the papers down and stepped up, onto his desk with his arms folded behind his back. "Gentlemen, we have a dilemma." He pulled out a remote control and a large screen appeared in front of his desk. For a moment, nothing showed up on the screen, then the image of several humanoid silhouettes appeared, shadowed for their lack of identity. "A century old conflict between demons has been brought on us. Are you familiar with Spirit Shifters?"
"Can't say I've been acquainted with any." Yusuke responded.
Kurama was the one to continue Koenma's explanation. "They are a cunning breed of demon and can change into anything they want. The physical abilities of whatever form they take are enhanced a hundredfold. Of course, they cannot mimic an individual's abilities." He paused. "Hiei and I never had any personal experience with their kind. They are considered to be the vermin of demon world. They have been hunted to extinction, or so most demons believe."
"Correct, Kurama. They were hunted down to near extinction hundreds of years ago by The Hunters." Koenma was the one to speak again.
"That's a creative name." Yusuke piped up sarcastically.
"They aren't out to make a creative name for themselves, Yusuke. They are a collective group of higher class demons - elitists so to speak. Like Kurama said, Spirit Shifters were looked upon as vermin because of their shape-shifting abilities. Mimicking another's form isn't a highly revered talent. The Hunters sought to destroy them simply out of this belief."
"So if they're all dead, what's the problem?" was Yusuke's next response.
"I said they were hunted to near extinction. We have reason to believe there is at least one unidentified Spirit Shifter remaining."
Kuwabara was the one to speak this time. "But if it's unidentified how do we know that there really is one left?"
"Spirit World intelligence has been monitoring the movements of the Hunters since they made their way into Human World. They're movements suggest they are searching. Besides..." Koenma looked up at the group ominously. "We discovered the bodies of two other known Spirit Shifters many years back near your beloved city. It was only recently that the Hunters became more impatient and started killing humans during their search."
"So why don't we just kill the shifter? Once it's dead the Hunters won't have any reason to 'cause any more problems, right?" Yusuke's simplistic analysis was always expected during a briefing and as always, Koenma was ready to correct him.
"It's a little more complicated than that, Yusuke. The Hunters are an elitist group, as I have mentioned, and their egotistical beliefs extend to humans too. To them, humans are even worse simply because they are human. As soon as their current goal is achieved, they will gladly move on to killing more humans. The ones they have already killed are just the start of it."
"This is really getting old, Koenma. Why is it that every demon has a burning desire to kill all humans? And why are they all powerful enough to be an actual threat?!" Yusuke spat on the ground. "So, exactly how strong are these jerks?"
"Our sources indicate that each possess the strength of S class apparitions."
Yusuke's jaw fell open at the news. "S class?!?!" He burst out. "I thought the barrier the idiots from Spirit World put up was supposed to keep anything above a B class from getting into human world! How the hell have you guys missed this?"
"My father doesn't yet know of this case which is why the SDF hasn't been mobilized yet. However it's only a matter of time before dear-ol'-daddy gets the news. After the Sensui incident, I've been slowly rebuilding his trust in us. It took me months to convince him that you weren't a threat to human world and that, despite your demon blood, you staying on board as Spirit Detective is what's best for the humans. The situation is very delicate and if this case isn't taken care of soon you won't have a job to return to at all."
"You aren't listening to me, pacifier-breath. How did you idiots let several S class demons get passed the barrier and into human world?!" Yusuke's frustration had caused him to raise his voice to a yelling level as he spoke to Koenma.
"We believe they snuck through the tunnel Sensui dug to demon world before the SDF had a chance to get there. Once the barrier was erected again, there is no other way they could have gotten through the barrier."
Kuwabara spoke up this time. "Wait a minute guys, I thought S class demons were supposed to be monstrous. And if they've got so much power, why haven't we seen them or felt their energies?"
Kurama replied. "Classes are assigned to reflect a demon's true strength, not their size. S class demons have monstrous strength and their bodies usually grow to reflect that power. However, that is not always the case. We have all grown exponentially in the last several years and as you can see, Hiei remains as small in stature as ever."
Hiei growled angrily as the rest of the room broke out laughing at Kurama's joke. "Damn it, fox. You're treading on thin ice." He spoke through gritted teeth.
"What's that, little man? I couldn't quite hear you from up here." Kuwabara was all too happy to join in the fun. Hiei didn't waste any time in punching him over the head. But as Kuwabara recovered and was about to retaliate, Koenma interrupted.
"That's enough guys." He hadn't joined in the laughter. "This is a very serious case and I need you four to be on the lookout. There are at least five demons you will have to worry about, maybe more; each with hundreds of years of experience on you. You must fight and defeat them all to prevent them from killing anymore people. Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara - I would like the three of you to assist him as best you can. It doesn't matter whether you kill the Spirit Shifter in the process, but the Hunters must be destroyed before they can cause any more harm."
"Hiei and I have been tracking several demonic energies that belong to Hunters. In any case, we know where to start our search." Kurama spoke up this time. He withheld the information about the Spirit Shifter he and Hiei had discussed not long ago.
"Very good, Kurama. Do as you must, but stop those demons at any cost. Remember, this is a very delicate case. You must be swift in taking care of them." Koenma motioned for the four of them to leave and heaved a great sigh as the room emptied.
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Upon returning to the Human World, Hiei immediately departed without a word and the three remaining boys walked side-by-side on the deserted sidewalk. It was still late in the evening and no one was around. Even the usual gangs who patrolled the streets seemed to disappear over the course of the last week but Yusuke and Kuwabara took no notice of this.
"You told Koenma that you and Hiei had been tracking several demonic energies. Is that right, Kurama?" Yusuke was the one to break the silence.
"Yes. We were quick to pick up on their energies. However, I would never have guessed them to be of the S class. It seems they can hide their power well. It will make them more difficult to locate."
"Well, that's great..." Yusuke brought his arms up and behind his head as he walked.
"I said difficult, not impossible. It's extremely tricky to hide so much power, especially since they're S class. Lower class demons can get away with it more easily if they're skilled enough. Usually, however, they are not."
Kurama made no mention of the girl he concluded was the shifter they were told about. He suggested they continue to monitor the other energies since looking for a demon who could transform into just about anything it desired would prove more difficult. "It would be suicidal to attempt to face our enemy right now while we know nothing of them. I will attempt to learn as much as possible before we engage them."
"Right..." Yusuke said as Kuwabara nodded his understanding. They had both learned to trust when Kurama knew it was best to sit back and analyze the enemy before rushing headlong into the fight.
"Until then, go about your normal routine and remain cautious. They are probably already aware of our presence because of the incident with Sensui. No doubt they have labeled us as a threat to their cause and will seek us out in due time." From there, the boys went their separate ways; Yusuke and Kuwabara returning home. Kurama, meanwhile, decided to do some more research and headed to the park where he knew he'd encounter the Spirit Shifter.
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Kurama's trip to the park took no more than a few minutes and upon arriving he hid among the many trees surrounding a large clearing. There, he saw a small girl at a stand-off with two taller boys. She looked delighted despite the circumstances and the two appeared furious.
"You guys are beginning to waste my time." She taunted. "It's the same crap every night. You guys try to jump me, fail miserably and then lose in open combat with me. Y'think you could try something different for a change?" Her expression suddenly changed to one of curiosity. "So where's your third pal?"
Kurama suddenly became aware of a third person running up behind her with a knife drawn. He was surprised he hadn't noticed such an obvious trap but before he could react she had already ducked under his slash and came up facing the ambusher. The attacker suddenly looked frightened as she jumped up and smashed her right knee into his jaw, sending him crashing to the ground. When she landed, each of the other two boys grabbed her arms and held her with a strong grip.
"You're not going anywhere now, missy. We don't take kindly to little girls taking over our territory."
"You idiots don't get it, I've never been interested in your stupid territories. You simply lost ownership of it when I kicked your asses the first time." With that, she dropped down, throwing a back kick into the right man's kidney. When he let go of her arm, she gripped the left boy's arm with her own left arm and heaved him closer, folding the arm so that she hit him in the face with her left elbow as he stumbled into her. As he fell unconscious, the other kid recovered and lunged at her. However, the girl was prepared and dodged the attack only to counter with a swift kick to his head. The kick was powerful enough to knock him unconscious and she relaxed as he fell still before her.
Staring over her three fallen adversaries, she said "they learn a new, dirty trick every time I face them." Kurama watched as she turned and left the park. He noticed that her demonic energy was sloppy and very weak. There's no point in encountering her tonight, he thought. She may be capable of more than we're giving her credit for. For now, I will continue to monitor her. He retreated from the park and made his way home silently where he pondered the new case silently.