"Yusuke, was your life normal before you became a spirit detective?" Riane asked one morning. She had a training session with him, but she wasn't in the mood and he could easily tell that. They sat by the lake, Riane just waiting for it to be warm enough to swim. She knew winter was coming, and then she would start using the pool at her school. Until then, she preferred to be private.

"I guess. I mean, I was always getting into fights and shit, but I guess it was as normal as it could be..." he answered, unsure.

"Is it always like this? Koenma calls you in and then a big training fest?"

"No, he used to send me in the dark barely trained, but I always managed to win."

"That's good. I'd like to win."

"I think you'll do fine. You can only train so much before you have to fight."

"Will the fighting start soon?"

"It's hard to say. The temple is pretty well protected, and Hiei's always here. Besides, we've been keeping a good eye on the border."

"Border?"

"The one that separates this world and the demon one."

"Oh. I didn't know about that."

"You didn't? Koenma didn't tell you?"

"No, he's barely told me anything, just that I have enemies and I need training. He also said that the more I know, the easier it would be for others to pick it out of my head."

"Oh fuck this! Come on, we're going to spirit world!"

"What?"

"You heard me. He's deliberately keeping you in the dark, just like he did to us last time!"

"Last time? What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain later, let's go!"

...

Riane didn't know anything about the spirit world. She knew it was there, but it was her understanding that she needed to be dead in order to come here. But that obviously wasn't true, because she knew she wasn't dead, and yet, here she stood. At first she was freaked out by all the monsters wandering frantically, as if they would die if they didn't complete their task. She didn't get too distracted, as Yusuke was still muttering to himself, heading towards what she assumed was Koenma's office. It wasn't so much that she assumed, she knew exactly where it was, despite never having been here before. Yusuke kicked in the double doors.

"KOENMA!" he yelled, walking up to the desk angrily. Riane walked in curiously, wondering where Koenma was. She knew that he was taller than Yusuke, so where was he? Finally, she walked to stand beside him as he fumed, and her eyes went wide. Sitting at the desk was a small child, of maybe about three or four, looking astonished.

"Yusuke what are you doing! You don't yell at children like that?" Riane demanded, horrified that this child would have such treatment.

"I'm hardly more than a child," said the boy, Riane recognizing the voice of Koenma. She looked at him incredulously.

"Wha...?" she was very confused now.

"I am Koenma."

"You? But.. but I.. What?" she looked at Yusuke hopeful with an explanation.

"He is," Yusuke confirmed.

"But he's just a little kid!" Riane protested. No way was the Koenma. How was that even possible?

"Yes, he is! Hasn't even outgrown diapers yet since he's still keeping people in the dark!" Yusuke yelled, curses flying from his mouth. Riane was to astonished to even think about the real reason they came there. How was it a child was the ruler of the world beyond? How was this even possible?

"Hold it!" Riane screamed, catching the attention of the other two and a blue ogre that walked into the room, "You're a fucking child? This is just fucking perfect... When do I wake up from my dream? Send me home already, this is bullshit. I can't believe I actually fell for your stupid trick! I want to go home! Get me out of this place!"

Koenma sighed, "While I may have the appearance of a child, I am in fact centuries old. My father is the one who rules the place, I take care of the other issues brought into effect. I did not lie to you, we need you."

"Well I want answers Koenma, why do you need me?"

"That much is unclear yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm positive you've never heard of the Reikai Yogen. It is an ancient prophecy, and it mentions you."

"The hell?"

"You're the focus, the key to the prophecy, and the only one that can save us."

"What do you mean save us? If I can't even save my own world, how in the fucking hell am I supposed to save this one?"

"We don't know."

"Of course not. Well, what do you fucking know then?"

"Only what my father tells me, and that is you are needed, and this prophecy is one of the most important things in this whole universe."

"So let me talk to your father then!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Oh? And why not?"

"He's... not here."

"Bullshit."

"There's nothing I can do, Riane."

"It's just bullshit! You have all this power and what is it good for if you have to send people like me and Yusuke to do your dirty work. I want to see your father, and I want to see him now!"

"He won't see you."

"That's too fucking bad, I'm not leaving here until I figure out what the fuck is going on!"

Koenma gulped, while Yusuke kept the scowl on his face. Riane stood there, arms crossed and unrelenting. Her gaze was kept on Koenma, as he looked as if he could die on the spot. They were quiet for several moments, none of them knowing what to say, aside form Riane. She said all she had to, and now she wanted her results. Switching pressure on her feet, Riane continued to glare at Koenma, waiting patiently for him to finally give her what she wanted. He sighed, looking down for a moment, and then back into her cold stare.

"Alright, I'll take you to see my father," he said relunctantly. Riane nodded, following the young ruler out of his office. Yusuke stayed put, knowing that going to see King Enma was not a good idea. You never wanted to go see the person who wanted you dead for a short time, and its not like he was really all that fond of him in the first place.

Riane walked silently along with Koenma. She had no idea where she was going, but the eerie silence was starting to make her nervous. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, but she would rather die than admit she was wrong. So, she toughened up, and stuck on her route. She knew she over reacted, the fact that Koenma was actually a centuries old child shouldn't have come to a shock to her. But subconsciously, she knew she was trying to find a way out of the place. She didn't want all this adventure and prophecies, she just wanted her normal boring life back. How was she supposed to get that without figuring out what was going on here? She knew that these people held the power to get her back to her life, but she didn't know how to get that.

Koenma kept walking, and as Riane walked with him, she was almost trembling from the stress and fear of his father. What was he like? Was he really all that bad? It seemed to her that everyone feared this King Enma. How was she supposed to stand up to a god? There had to be a way to get around this. But she pressed on until finally Koenma stopped in front of two massive doors, the biggest she had seen in the place yet. She couldn't even see where it connected with the ceiling, that's how dark it was. She looked down at Koenma and he nodded at her. The doors opened with a boom that nearly made her jump out of her skin. She walked into the dimly lighted room, but Koenma didn't follow, he stayed behind. Now she was really nervous. What chance did she have against a god?

"Child of prophecy, you wished to see me?" said the voice of the god she wasn't expecting. He came into the light and Riane turned white. He was huge! Bigger than any building she had ever seen in her life!

"Y-Yes, sir," she stammered, trying to remember to stay focused.

"What is it you wish?"

"I... I wanted an explanation as to what was going on. Why aren't you telling me anything?"

"My son is notorious for misinformation. But we here at the Reikai believe in only releasing what is necessary."

"So... You won't tell me unless its necessary.. But wouldn't something involving me be just that? I mean, if I'm the child of prophecy, shouldn't I have the information I need? Why all this secrecy? Didn't someone get killed because of it?"

"No, she did what was necessary."

"What about this Reikai Yogen? The one that mentions me?"

"It is written in an ancient language."

"Could you read it to me?"

"It is there," he said, pointing to a pedestal off to the side. She turned her head, wondering why she had never noticed it before. Clearly, he didn't want to read it, that task was up to her. She walked towards the light, very aware of the god's eyes on her. She knew she was shaky, but she didn't dare look back with uncertainty. The room was huge, but it wasn't all that far away. It seemed to be taking a while though, or maybe that was her growing anticipation. She felt drawn to this ancient artifact, like this was something she was supposed to do. Finally reaching it, she saw that she could not understand or make out any of the characters written there. She sighed, feeling like all of this was a waste. She was about to turn back, but then her head started to hurt.

...

"What do you mean you left her in Reikai?" asked Genkai. The old woman of the temple was silent, aside from the old woman's voice.

"I was told to leave," said Yusuke.

"What do you mean? Who told you?"

"Koenma."

"Since when do you listen to Koenma? Dimwit, you should not have left the girl there by herself!"

"I'm sure he'll get her back!"

"Are you really just stupid? After what happened last time, we can't fully trust Koenma!"

"You think he'd make the same mistake again!"

"You didn't get a clue when you took her there for having no information? In a situation like this, we cannot consider Koenma an ally!"

"What are you talking about?"

"What is going on here?" asked Kurama, stepping into the dojo. He had come to tend to her room and finally have a talk with Riane about the danger ahead.

"Dimwit took Riane to Koenma and then just left her there!" said Genkai with a huff.

"What?"

"I don't see how big of a deal this is," said Yusuke.

"Haven't you been listening during our plan of action? Koenma cannot be trusted, not after what happened to S-"

"I know what happened to her! But Riane demanded to see King Enma and then when he got back, he told me to go home!"

"She wasn't with him when Koenma returned?"

"No."

Kurama swore under his breath, and then made way for Reikai. How could Yusuke have been so blind? They had discussed this, many times after what happened to her. Koenma couldn't be trusted when it came to matters like this. How could he be trusted if his misinformation was the what caused her demise. Perhaps Kurama was being prejudiced, but he couldn't deny that he cared for Riane, and he wasn't going to let Koenma take another life because of it. Not if he could help it.

...

Riane was tired. She didn't know reading a strange and ancient language could do that. She was stunned after reading the prophecy. King Enma didn't say anything afterwards, but she didn't need him to. She had gotten what she wanted, and that was the end of it. She could smell roses when she got out of the chamber, and she found that strange. She heard footsteps, faint, but she knew they were there. She looked up, but saw nothing down the dark hallway. It didn't matter though, no one here could harm her, she knew that for sure. She kept walking, the smell of roses becoming stronger. Why did it smell like roses? That part just didn't make any sense.

The footsteps got louder, indicating the whoever was out there was getting close. They were too fast to be a walk, and soon, out of the darkness, she saw Kurama running towards her. That was strange, what was he doing here? He ran to her, slowing down once he got in front of her. She stopped, still confused as to why he was here.

"What happened?" he asked, not even close to being out of breath. It would be hard after all the running she made him do.

"I wanted answers, and now I have them," she replied. Kurama noticed there was a haunted look in her eyes. What did King Enma do to her?

"He told you?"

"He let me read the prophecy," she said, her voice breaking. She held back her tears. It was time to grow up now, and face her fate. All the training, all the hardship, it meant nothing until now. She knew her purpose, and she'd be damned if she let it fly by and got everyone killed. Kurama was speaking to her, but she was more focused on her thoughts.

...

Riane sat by the lake, the moon light shining brightly. She was drawn to the moon this time, not the lake, but it seemed as if this was the only part of the temple that didn't bombard her with images. She didn't know how long she sat there, but she was sure it was a few hours. She had come back to the temple only to have Genkai yelling at Yusuke. She didn't see what the big deal was, but then again, she wasn't really listening. It seemed that the two of them constantly yelled at each other, but she knew they cared deeply. It was almost as if they were a mother and son.

She missed her family, despite all the shit she went through with them. She didn't think about it as much as she used to, but it was better than never at all. There were a lot of mistakes she made when it came to her mother, but she knew that life went on, and if she could apologize, she would. Maybe after all of this shit was over, she could go back to her life, and she would spend more time with her family. But she doubted that would happen, and she was prepared to accept that.

She sighed, looking up into the moon. She knew Kurama wasn't going to leave her until she told him what happened. She wished he wasn't so nosy. But she also knew that he was the strategic planner of their little group, probably the most intelligent. Her information could probably benefit them, and here she was selfishly keeping it locked away. She laid back on the grass, her eyes glossing over in thought.

"I'm ready now," she said quietly. He kept his gaze on the moon, and waited for her to continue, "It goes like this:

"Behold, for when the moons shine becomes dark, the time of despair will follow.

"Destiny waits for no one, and the chosen one will finally be awakened.

"She will retain what was once lost to her, and her path will become clear.

"But the nightwalker's curse will follow her every footsteps.

"For lo, she will be imprisoned after the first task.

"Fear not, for she will return upon the proper time.

"But only the one with the pure heart can remove her seal.

"Say the sacred name of the chosen one, and look upon her eyes once more.

"The second task is nigh, and a choice must be made.

"The curse will remain, until the completion of the third task, and the chosen one will again be sealed.

"The despair of the heart of the pure will be long, but she will return, and it will all begin again.

"Guard well the key, for it is only she that can release the curse of the universe.

"And the child of prophecy will return to her previous state, and be returned to the pure."

She stopped after the last line. She knew that she was the key, and that she had to face whatever it was that was going to happen. She had to be ready, she didn't have a choice. For all she knew, it could come tomorrow. There was no more training, none of it, she would have to keep her focus in mind. She would attend school, pretend that the fate of the world wasn't resting on her shoulders. Of course, she wanted to scream, cry and run away from it all, but what would that solve? Kurama couldn't help her, neither could Yusuke, no one could, and that meant that she had to grow up and face her responsibility, even if it meant losing everything, including her life.

...

lil short, sorry, just trying to keep focus with this one. thanks for reading! :)