Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own Ria.

A/N: Long time no see! Welcome to the fourth chapter of A Most Unusual Vocation where our spirit detectives strive to pass Genkai's tests while searching for Rando so that they can stop him from learning Genkai's spirit wave technique. As was the case last year, this is for Ria on her birthday and just so we're clear I am not only updating once a year. The fanfiction would take forever if I did. I've just been really busy and promise to update more frequently so without further ado, here goes. Enjoy!

"So what does the demon compass say?" I asked my partner as we waited to get inside the temple. "If Rando's here it should be able to sense him, right?"

"Let's find out," replied Yusuke as he pushed back his left shirt sleeve and stared at the compass strapped to his wrist. The thing's arrow started spinning so fast it broke. "Well he's definitely here in the crowd somewhere."

"That and he must be really powerful if his energy broke the compass," I muttered back, suddenly getting a bad feeling as we entered Genkai's temple and found ourselves in a huge arcade. "What in the- does she expect us to play all of these games? I mean, what's the point?"

"The point, smart mouth, is that these are no ordinary games," Genkai informed me as she stood on a platform that hung from the ceiling. "The Janken machine will test your spirit awareness, the punching machine your spirit's strength, and the karaoke machine your energy's ability to adapt and grow stronger. You have to pass two of the three machines to move on to the next test. Do not touch the rest of the games. You may begin."

I turned to Yusuke with a slight smile on my lips. "So which one do you want to try first?"

"How about the karaoke machine?" he suggested, nodding to the machine's giant stage and screen. "I'll suck at it but I know you'll be great."

"You sing, Ria baby?" inquired Kuwabara, looking at me with his usual sappy, wide eyed expression. "I didn't know that."

"Why would you?" I shot back.

"Yeah, Kuwabara," agreed Yusuke. "Not even her boyfriend knows she can sing so there's no way in hell you would, knucklehead."

I punched him in the arm making him grin. "For the last time, he is not my boyfriend."

"Whatever you say, Ri," he said before gesturing for me to take the stage as someone stepped off of it. "Now get on up there and show them what you're made of."

"Oh I will," I assured him as I strode over to the game and walked up the steps of the platform. I looked at the list of songs and chose one I knew and loved, "Moonlight Densetsu". Needless to say I nailed it as I got the highest score out of the entire group while the other two sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"See, I told you you'd kill it," noted Yusuke as we headed over to the punching machine.

"Where did you learn to sing like that, anyway?" inquired Kuwabara.

"My mom," I told him as we got in line.

"Ah," he murmured, clearly unsure of what to say next but was saved from having to think too hard about it since it was his turn. The idiot donned on a red boxing glove and pulled his arm back before swinging with all his might, earning him 129 points. Kuwabara then turned to me with a huge grin on his face. "Not bad, huh? I bet you're really impressed, aren't you, Ri?"

"First of all, never call me Ri again. It's creepy," I informed him as I took the glove and put it on my own hand, pushing him out of the way. I stepped up to the bag as the crowd of men behind me whispered that there was no way a little girl like me would get a big score. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I punched the machine with as much force as I could and got a score of 142. "Second of all, you punch weaker than a girl."

The crowd laughed as I handed the glove to Yusuke who hit the bag and got a 155 which I was not surprised about considering I had always known he was stronger than me. After that we moved on the Janken game where Kuwabara actually proved superior for once before finally being able to move onto the old lady's third test.

~ A Most Unusual Vocation ~

Genkai took the remaining twenty contenders back outside and guides us to a forest that had a really spooky vibe about it, or so Kuwabara claimed anyway. Honestly though, I did feel a chill go down my spine when we reached its entrance so maybe there was something to this spirit awareness thing the old hag kept talking about after all.

"This is the Dark Forest," Genkai was explaining as she smoked yet another cigarette. "It's as old as the human race itself and is a sanctuary for the oldest and most primitive of demons. On the other side is a giant tree. You have two hours to make it there. I suggest you use your spirit awareness to find the quickest way. Now get going!"

"Yes, ma'am," I murmured as I broke out into a run besides Yusuke as the old woman sped by us. "Damn, she's fast."

"Yeah," agreed Yusuke as the rest of the group started to break off.

"You're going to go straight, aren't you?" I guessed.

"Duh," confirmed Yusuke.

"But she told us to use our spirit awareness," I began before shaking my head. "Why am I trying to reason with you when I know it's pointless?"

"Because you like to be bossy," he replied as he cocked his head to the side to grin at me. "Besides, everyone knows that the fastest way is a straight line so that's what I'm doing."

I sighed. "Whatever, man. I'm going to try tapping into my spirit awareness. After all it wouldn't hurt for us to develop our skills, maybe then we could find Rando easier."

"That and you just want to impress Kurama when you see him again," he teased, ducking as I swung at him. "Though all you really need to do is hit him to knock him off his feet."

"You are so corny," I muttered as I turned to head off in a different direction. "Try not to get yourself killed, jackass."

"You too," I heard him murmur before making my way deeper into the forest using my spirit awareness but still managing to run into a demon here and there. "Shit, I guess I'm going to need more practice using this thing and I thought my spirit bow was tough."

Eventually I made it out of the forest only to have to climb a hill to reach the tree which the old hag was standing next to along with Kuwabara and five of the other contestants.

"Looks like you have some skill after all," noted Genkai sarcastically as she glanced at the pocket watch she was holding. "You're just in time too. The two hours are up meaning the seven of you will move on to the next test."

"Wait a second. There should be one more person coming," I told her after glancing around for my partner and not finding him.

"Too bad," she snapped, pocketing her watch. "I don't make exceptions."

"Stingy bitch," I muttered as I heard a familiar yell coming from behind me and turned to see Yusuke sprinting up the hill. "Good job, dumbass. You missed the deadline. I told you not to go in a straight line."

"Really? I guess I should have listened to that fortune cookie I ate that said the straightway isn't always the fastest," he mused.

"But listen, boy," said Genkai, suddenly looking shocked as she walked over to us. "Surely you didn't go straight through the Dark Forest. You would have faced a lethal man bat."

"What, you mean Baldock?" replied Yusuke. "Yeah, he was hanging out with me for a while. That guy was fast but not nearly as fast as Hiei. I took care of him real good though, you'll see."

"I believe I will make an exception this time," announced Genkai after a moment.

I stared down at the psychic incredulously. "Really?"

Genkai nodded as Yusuke and Kuwabara hugged each other before getting mad and breaking it off.

"Idiots," I muttered shaking my head though I could not help but smile as Yusuke fist bumped me. "How about next time you listen to me?"

"Where's the fun in that?" he pointed out before turning serious. "You think he's still here?"

I looked behind me at the five guys behind us. "Yeah, I do though I still can't tell which one's him. None of them really look like a demon but, as we both know, appearances can be deceiving."

"True," he admitted. "Guess we'll have to keep going then, huh?"

"Yep," I agreed. "So let's go, partner; onto the fourth test where, hopefully, Rando will finally make his move."

~ A Most Unusual Vocation ~

"From here on you can forget about sympathy! The final test will be a tournament between the eight of you until one is standing. You'll fight until your opponent is dead or incapacitated. I don't care which," Genkai told us as she led us into yet another temple that had a spacious room before closing its doors, leaving us in the dark.

"Hey! What's with the lights?!" shouted Kuwabara, frantically.

"What's the matter, Kuwabara?" I asked him sweetly. "Afraid of the dark?"

"No," he replied though I could still hear the fear in his voice. "I just don't like this lady!"

"Yeah, Grandma," piped in Yusuke. "What, do you expect us to fight in the dark?"

"Yes, you little crap. That's exactly what I expect," the hag confirmed as a lantern began to glow on the wall to our right. She drew on the cigarette she was holding before blowing the smoke in our faces causing us to cough. "You must use your spirit awareness to see. Use weapons if you've got them. Hit them where you like. Anything goes. The winner is the one who can walk back alive."

"Anything goes, huh?" I murmured, smirking. "Sounds good to me."

"Just like a typical Saturday morning street fight," agreed Yusuke.

"I'm not so sure, you guys," Kuwabara admitted. "I got a bad hunch. Like some of that scary stuff from the forest has followed us here somehow, you know? Like some beast has been stalking me all this way but he's too afraid to attack me."

Yusuke and I glanced at each other before nodding.

"Well that proves it then," said Yusuke. "After all those tests, Rando must still be after Genkai's technique."

"Who's Rando?" inquired Kuwabara. "Is he the beast?"

"You could say that," I replied, watching the other contestants thoughtfully. "Unfortunately we don't have time to explain. Just answer this for us; is that hunch of yours coming from one of the remaining contenders?"

Kuwabara stared at them, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Hard to say. I think the feeling is hidden really good. It's just hanging in the air and I can't tell where it's coming from. Sorta like a, a…"

"Sorta like a fart in a crammed elevator?" suggested Yusuke.

"Well, yeah. I guess so," Kuwabara murmured as Genkai called our attention back to her.

"Now before we start, you'll all introduce yourselves and speak up!" she barked.

A guy decked out in your average samurai outfit stepped forward. "Name's Musashi. I'm a fourth degree black belt of Kinto at the Shubatsu School. I hunt down evil beings and destroy them."

"I am Shurin, a psychic in training," the next guy informed us. He was short and wore what looked kind of like a monk's outfit. "I've travelled the world in search of a perfect instructor."

"People call me Kubano," said a man with green hair and a scar on his cheek. "I am a master in every style of martial arts and I live to test my own limits."

After him came a tall bald guy who said he was a ninja named Kazumaru who works as a bodyguard for high ranking government officials. Then there was a man with glasses named Kurota whose profession was that of a contract killer.

Finally it was our turn as both idiots claimed they were the worst punk of our junior high. I couldn't help but snort as everyone's eyes turned to me. "Don't listen to these idiots. My name is Ria Yukimura and I'm the worst punk of Sarayashiki Junior High."

Arrows suddenly fell from the ceiling to land in the floor in front of us. There were eight and each one had a piece of paper attached to it.

"Now everyone, pick up the arrow you think is pretty," ordered Genkai. "That'll decide the order."

We each picked up an arrow and removed the paper. I ended up in the second match against the psychic guy who didn't look tough but was giving off a weird vibe. Kuwabara got the samurai in the third match and Yusuke got the green haired martial artist in the fourth match.

"At least we didn't get each other," murmured Yusuke into my ear. "Now we have a better chance of fighting the guy disguised as Rando."

I nodded as I watched my opponent out of the corner of my eye, wondering if the most unassuming person in this room, aside from Kuwabara, was the demon we were looking for and if so, was I going to be strong enough to stop him?

"One thing's for sure," I murmured back. "This is going to be interesting."

A/N: And there you have it! The next chapter will cover the first two matches as Ria takes on Rando. So until next time, read review and show the love! Happy Holidays!