A/N: Longer chapter this time... hopefully not too long. But, if I don't post longer chapters I'll end up spending a full year just posting this first arc and it'll be like a million chapters long. Please let me know if it is too long!

Kurama

He had returned home in one piece, but only barely.

Surprisingly to him, he had been wrong and Hotaru took him to precisely where she had said she would. She had also been right about them certainly not having enough time for him to get there by himself—almost as soon as he had arrived he had heard the sounds of Yusuke and Hiei embroiled in a fierce fight, and had only barely stopped Yusuke from being killed by the maddened demon.

Unfortunately, he had been forced to sacrifice his own health and safety to do so, and now was sporting a massive hole through his abdomen. He had done what he could with the plants at his disposal to quell the bleeding and keep himself alive, and his demonic energy did help to quicken the healing process when he focused, but he was far from alright.

Even more unfortunately, Hotaru had quickly taken her leave upon their arrival, so he had been forced to stumble back by himself in the dark. She had told him that Reikai authorities would surely arrive once the fight was settled, and she needed to get started right away on ensuring that Hiei wasn't too severely punished for his actions.

Apparently, she was looking out for him too.

Kurama stumbled up the pathway through his front garden, thankful for the first time ever that Shiori was in the hospital. None of the clothing Hotaru had discarded during her little stunt remained—likely it had disappeared once she had regained her own form and abandoned his.

What did remain, however, was the table Kurama had propped up the hallway. Upon seeing it, Kurama let out a groan—he should have moved it beforehand. Now, with his stomach practically torn in half, he doubted he had the strength to move it.

He noted the blood stain and the cigarette burn, and his fingers twitched.

Two years ago when he had first met Hotaru, she had mentioned to him that there was some agreement between her and Hiei—he was, as she put it, required to serve as her guardian. Though Kurama had no idea what she might need to be protected from, he imagined a girl like that had quite a few enemies.

Hotaru had also not been shy about admitting that Hiei had somehow skipped out on the deal, leaving her to chase after him. Back then she had seemed rather upset about it and very determined to make him pay up, but at least from what Kurama could tell from his interaction with Hiei, she hadn't made much progress in getting the younger demon to cooperate with her plans. And even Hiei, as tight-lipped as he was, had made it no secret that he wasn't fond of the girl.

So then why was she so determined to help him?

Just as with him, Hotaru seemed to put herself through a world of trouble just to protect someone who held no loyalties to her and likely didn't even want the help. Hiei—on the rare occasions that he did speak about the girl—openly mocked her as self-centered, untrustworthy, and utterly foolish. And yet, Hotaru hadn't even questioned running off to find Kurama's help—despite their previous disagreements—and was now in Reikai trying to negotiate his release.

And her relationship with Yusuke seemed equally one sided. From what he could tell during their few short meetings, Yusuke didn't even know the girl existed, much less did he know the lengths she had gone to in order to protect him. He had no idea that she had put her life on the line all to negotiate his safety.

Hiei, Yusuke, and himself… Her trying to help him escape Reikai's clutches was not an isolated incident—it was a pattern. She was trying to help each of them, and working far harder than expected to do so.

Perhaps she was simply altruistic?

The thought seemed absurd to him—after all, there was something about her that clearly put him on edge and he could think of no reason for such behavior on his part unless she were truly a malicious force. However, the evidence before him all seemed to point towards the contrary.

He leaned back against the wall, staring at the blood-stained, broken, and burned kitchen table.

Perhaps I let this situation get the best of me…

Perhaps he really had been too harsh—perhaps she simply had a way about her that inspired distain, or perhaps he had just been too caught up in his own business to realize that he was overestimating the threat this girl posed. Either way, it didn't really matter why—what did matter was that he needed to reconsider.

Hotaru was not the monster he thought she was—in fact, she was likely the complete opposite. And despite their fight, his attack, and her numerous threats, Kurama was at least somewhat confident that this was something he could leave behind. And she had come to him for help when she had no one else to turn to—she may not have fully trusted him, but that was a sign there was at least a small amount of respect there.

They could let this past unpleasantness become a part of the past. They didn't need to like each other—it was even possible they wouldn't be seeing each other again for quite a while. He felt he could still let this go—forgive and forget, after all.

He pulled himself upright, and approached the table. All he needed to do was get it to the curb—surely it wouldn't be that difficult.

However, as soon as he shifted his weight to lift the broken wood, he felt his plant-assisted scab crack down the middle. He winced and dropped the table back to the ground, backing up against the wall again.

And as he did, he noticed a small trail of blood left behind.

Hiei

A few hours later

Hiei sat on the cold, hard floor with his back to the wall. The bars before him were thick, but they were merely metal. He had attempted to break them, using only his raw strength, but found them sturdier than they appeared. The walls were made of stone which he also found too difficult to break. He had finally accepted the fact that he wouldn't be able to break out... at least, not until a guard came. He figured all he had to do was choke the next one that showed his face and steal his key- then it would just be a matter of escaping the rest of the palace. It would be difficult, but even being killed on the run had to be better than sitting in that cell awaiting punishment.

The cell was dark, save for the small amount of light that came from a few fluorescents down the hall. Hiei liked the darkness though and especially now, as his head was pounding. The headache had started a few hours after that spirit detective had defeated him- he was already in his cell at that time, having been apprehended in his stupor by Reikai authorities. Even now, several hours later, the headache had yet to relent.

The past week had been a blur. The last thing he could remember clearly was escaping Reikai with Kurama and that bumbling oaf Gouki. The rest was merely a fog- memories in bits and pieces. He had been told that the sword had infected his mind, but he wasn't so quick to believe silly stories. Nevertheless, his head did hurt.

The one who had told him was Kurama. The fox had apparently begged for his life from the king at his own trial- or as he called it, 'negotiated'—and was now apparently in their service in exchange for mercy. It was an idea which thoroughly disgusted Hiei.

Of course he had been forced to attend a trial as well a few hours prior, but at his there was little mercy, and even less begging. They hadn't even given him the honor of meeting with the true king of Reikai- instead he had been forced to meet with his son, a minor god that resembled a human child.

The child had accused him of attempting to raise an army to destroy Ningenkai. Hiei certainly didn't remember any of that, though he did admit to the child that he didn't find the idea entirely repulsive. Too much work for too little payoff, perhaps, but the thought of that disgusting place going up in flames did amuse him. He had not attempted to hide this fact.

Being unable to cooperate, he had been sentenced to death. Kurama had attempted to defend him, but the fox was utterly pathetic in the face of the child-god and bent to his will easily. Imprisonment was a crime for thieves, the god had claimed- only death would be a suitable punishment for one intent on generalized destruction. Hiei didn't mind though, as the threat of death was nothing new to him, not to mention that he now had nothing to lose- he could put all his energy into escaping this vile place and the worst that could happen would be that he ended up right where he started.

He heard footsteps and felt a presence approaching. The approaching figure's energy signature was weak, and he smiled to himself. Whoever this one was, they could no doubt be taken out easily and he'd be one step closer to freedom. However, as the footsteps neared, he realized that this was no guard.

Instead, it was that awful, annoying little girl—Hotaru. Hiei and Hotaru had met many times in the past and every time they had, it had meant she was there to pester him about something.

As such, he was not very excited to see her.

"So... I see your little heist worked out well," she began once she reached his cell, a self-satisfied smirk upon her face.

She kept her distance from the bars, staying out of arms reach. Apparently, she wasn't as dumb as she looked.

"I heard an interesting thing just a bit ago..." she began slowly. "Apparently, you've been sentenced to death and apparently you've made absolutely no effort to reverse this decision. But I know that's not true, right?"

"Hn."

Hotaru's brow visibly twitched, but her voice didn't seem very irritated. "They said that you claimed at your trial that you would 'love to see Ningekai burn'. But not even you could be that stupid, could you?"

"... Hn."

"I told them that you were just being a proud- I told them you'd cooperate, in order to get your sentence reduced. It took quite a lot of convincing and way more time out of my schedule than I had hoped, but congratulations! It looks like they've agreed that if you can demonstrate actual remorse for your actions, then they'll agree to an alternative punishment. That sounds pretty good, right?"

"... Hn."

"This wasn't easy, you know. I had to do quite a bit and promise even more in order for them to agree. So... I mean... you'll behave, right?"

"... Hn."

"Oh my fucking god, would you stop that!?" she suddenly screamed. "That is literally the most annoying fucking noise I've ever heard someone make!"

He looked up at her in silence, and then, he relented. "I'm sorry you went to the trouble," he began, in a tone that clearly expressed he was not actually sorry. "But maybe you should have bothered to ask me first. I already told Kurama... I have no intention to beg for my life like a coward."

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "You don't have to beg, just stop being such a difficult little asshole."

Hiei flinched. He did not like being called 'little'.

She continued. "All I need you to do is say you don't want to kill all humans and that you aren't going to try to raise some crazy army again. Is that really so hard?"

"If they think I'm some monster hell-bent on destruction, let them. It doesn't bother me."

"Maybe it doesn't bother you but it will kill you."

Hiei went silent again and resumed staring at the walls. They were far more interesting than this girl ever was.

She waited, as patiently as she could, before she finally shrugged and began to walk away. "Fine then. I guess I'll just have to go tell Yukina that-"

He was at the bars before she could take another step.

"What did you say?"

She turned back with a wicked smile. "Yukina... she's in Ningenkai and I know where to find her."

"How would you know something like that?" he snapped.

Hotaru laughed, making the pain in Hiei's head spike again as it echoed off the walls. "I know a lot of things, Hiei. It's my job to know things."

He stared her down for a moment, as she stood there smiling, looking so proud of herself. Then he fell back, resuming his seat, and her smile fell. "Keep whatever rumors you have to yourself. I don't care."

"You seriously don't want to know where she is? Haven't you spent the last... fucking like five years looking for her?"

Hiei merely smiled to himself, replying in a low voice. "I have. And I highly doubt that somehow you were able to find her before I did."

"Well, I did."

"You couldn't have."

"And why is that?"

"Because the girl is dead," he finally stated, trying to sound as emotionless about the statement as possible.

To be honest, he wasn't actually sure if Yukina was dead, but it was an idea he had been toying with lately. After all, he had been searching for her for five years and she had been searching for him for even longer than that. Seeing as how they still hadn't found one another meant that only one of two possibilities had occurred: either someone was purposefully keeping them apart, or she had died after leaving Hyouga.

Hotaru, however, continued to persist.

"Is that what you've been telling yourself in here? What, so you don't feel guilty about giving up so easily?" He looked up at her with a fierce glare but she didn't seem to mind. The bars between them appeared to give her comfort. "If you think I'm lying, then take a look at this."

She reached into her pocket to retrieve something and rolled it across the floor to Hiei. It seemed to almost glow, reflecting even the small amount of light within the cell. Hiei's eyes widened as it came closer- it was a hiruiseki. It was a common form of the stone—not the same high quality that his lost stone had been of, but still quite obviously genuine. He picked it up, rolling it between his fingers, and then placed it within his pocket.

Of course, even if the stone was real, there was no guaranteeing that this stone was Yukina's. Hotaru could have just bought such a stone on the black market, or she could have stolen it herself from some unsuspecting koorime. Still though, something about the stone resonated with him, creating a doubt in his mind regarding his previous claim.

She might have been alive.

And Hotaru might have known where she was.

And just that was enough to go off of, at least for Hiei.

He didn't say anything, but Hotaru didn't seem to mind this time, instead speaking to him in a sickeningly sweet voice. "So, I guess that means you're willing to cooperate?"

Hiei refused to make eye contact with her. "Tell me where she is, and maybe I will."

"No way buddy, you already weaseled your way out of your last contract with me, so don't think I'll fall for that shit again." She grinned at him. "You cooperate and once you're serving your new punishment, then I'll tell you. Agreed?"

Certainly, the small demon did not like that agreement. However, in his current state he obviously couldn't argue with her. So, instead he kept his silence, quietly fondling the stone in his pocket and regarding the girl with a cautious stare.

And, naturally, she met his stare with a frustratingly chipper grin, clearly taking his silence as consent.

"Well then, Hiei," she began as she turned on her heel to leave. "I suggest you wipe that scary look off your face and start practicing your 'I'm Sorry's, because right now they sound really fucking insincere."

Hotaru

Happily, Hotaru marched up the stairs of the old, dingy apartment building—she never thought she'd be so pleased to see Shinobu and that damn Itsuki again. Truth be told, she had been a bit too distracted lately to keep up with the two—what with the attempt on her life, Yusuke almost dying three times in a row, and having both Kurama and Hiei face the death penalty—but now she was finally back on track.

Kurama was momentarily out of her hair and hadn't threatened her life in the past 24 hours, Hiei was to be released on a similar parole deal to Kurama's, and Yusuke was safely out of harm's way. And now, she was here to collect Yukina and to receive the final confirmation that the Toguro Brothers were dead, and Sakyou's plan completely foiled.

Honestly, she felt a bit guilty—poor Yukina must have been trapped with those two maniacs for nearly a week at this point, and it had to have been getting tiring. Plus, with her having been kidnapped by that god-awful Tarukane she was bound to be in a sorry state.

Still though, at least now she was safe—and Hotaru was finally about to reunite her with her brother. Even if she was a bit damaged at this point, the two of them would be oh-so excited to see each other again, so surely it would be okay.

And, that besides, with Tarukane making the stupid choice to employ the Toguro Brothers of all people to guard his precious mansion, she had been able to finish her bet with Sakyou. Now that her men—Shinobu and Itsuki—had defeated his, that meant his tunnel operation would be forced to stop. And with the tunnel operation shut down, that mean that Yusuke would be free to continue living as per her agreement with Enma.

All in all, everything had worked out pretty much perfectly, and in her good mood she hardly even cared that she had to climb six flights of steps to get to their apartment. Finally, she did reach the sixth floor, lit a cigarette, and then began confidently sauntering down the hallway. She began to imagine how she would handle the twins' reunion—should she surprise one of them with the other? Should she organize an awkward, formal meet-up scenario, and watch as the two stumbled through small talk? Or should it be some form of lavish party that Hiei was sure to hate, but would be forced to endure for the sake of Yukina? The possibilities were endless.

Of course, all her wild fantasies came to a sudden and abrupt halt once she reached apartment 606. The door was open—cracked just slightly—and it appeared dark inside.

Oh don't tell me they stepped out, she huffed. She hadn't exactly told them when she'd be back, so really it was fair that they not wait endlessly for her arrival, but the thought of having to hang around for them to get back was frustrating.

But, as she pried open the door, she realized things were far worse than that. Far, far worse.

The apartment was the same as it had ever been—sparsely furnished and dusty- but neither Shinobu nor Itsuki were anywhere to be seen, much less Yukina. However, the apartment wasn't empty—someone was there. Or rather, two people were. She practically fell backwards over her own feet as she stared them down—one leaning apathetically against the wall, large, muscular arms crossed over his chest and a scowl across his face, and the other perched eerily on his wide shoulders.

The Toguro Brothers were in Shinobu's apartment, not only alive, but seemingly unharmed.

The younger of the brothers grinned as her knees suddenly gave out beneath her, and she collapsed to the floor, staring up at them in open mouthed shock. Just the sight of the two there, standing against the backdrop of the single window in Shinobu's sad apartment, was enough to bring a thousand horrible realizations to the front of her mind.

Shinobu lost.

Yukina wasn't saved.

Yusuke isn't going to be allowed to live.

I'm totally fucked.

This was impossible—no one was stronger than Shinobu. Not anyone. Not even the SDF dared to take on the rogue detective. She had been so sure—so absolutely sure. She had told Hiei he could meet Yukina. She had promised him. She had told King Enma she could stop Sakyou, and had signed that damn contract. She had everything riding on this fight. And now, her worst nightmare was standing in front of her, and the fucker was smiling.

"There's been a change of plans."

Yusuke

Keiko sat on the other side of his school desk, her eyes boring holes into the back of his head and her nose scrunched up like it usually was when she was irritated. "Are you even paying attention?"

"Yea."

"Then what did I just tell you?"

"Uh, that thing about…" Yusuke began, scratching his nose as he searched for a vague enough answer to satisfy her. "About how trees have like… that stuff in them that—"

"—You weren't listening at all!"

"Well it's not my fault this shit is so boring!" he protested, suddenly angry, and he leaned back further in his desk chair. "If they really want to give us tests so badly they should make it about better shit! Who cares about trees?!"

"Learning about environmental issues is important, Yusuke!"

"Maybe to some people! Like… tree-huggers and those spiritual nutcases!"

"It's important to everyone! And it's going to be on the test next week!"

"Who cares!?"

Keiko began to pout, and Yusuke just looked away to avoid feeling guilty. He hated when she looked at him like that. Honestly, he wished she'd just get over this whole "improve your grades" "get into high school" "be a better student" thing she was so obsessed with. They had been spending more time together since he had been revived than they did before—both of them had sort of let their friendship go by the wayside as they grew older, but once he faced his mortality it had become more of a priority. But still, even with that in mind, all it ever was with her was talks about his school work, or his grades, or his stupid future.

He glanced back at her, and she was still giving him that disappointed stare, so he quickly looked away again.

According to Botan, Keiko shouldn't remember anything about the fight with Hiei yesterday or being kidnapped. Judging by how quickly she had decided to start their little "tutoring session" he guessed Botan had been telling the truth. It was like nothing had ever happened.

"Well I guess if you don't want any help then I'll just get back my own homework," Keiko sighed, turning passive aggressive as she always did when he refused to listen to her.

"I already told you I didn't want any help," he shot back angrily, the words leaving his mouth before he had a chance to think about them. Really he didn't like being so mean to her—and he always told himself to be nicer—but for some reason it just never stuck.

Still though, it was frustrating having her tutor him like this. Normally it would have been annoying too—studying fucking sucked—but especially now it was just… weird.

For the past week he had been chasing down a team of dangerous demonic thieves. He had fought a million-eyed monster, an ogre that ate children's souls, and had even met an ancient fox spirit. And he was doing it all under the orders of the prince of the afterlife…

And though none of that had seemed all that strange when it was happening, now that he was back in school again—sitting across from Keiko and arguing over test materials—the weirdness was way more obvious.

It wasn't like he wanted her to remember. If she did, she'd probably be totally freaked out—crying and looking over her shoulder every five minutes for evil three-eyed demons. And if she knew about his job as spirit detective it would be even worse. She'd just be pestering him all the time about that, too.

But he just felt so weird.

It was all just super normal, and it shouldn't have been. He shouldn't have even been in school at this point. He should have been in some martial arts school or something. He should have been fighting demons.

Honestly, all he wanted to do was just leave again—leave this whole stupid life as a "middle schooler" and become a spirit detective fulltime. It just fit so much better. He felt so much more comfortable out fighting than he did here. Not only that, but he was actually good at it! Sure, he had gotten some pretty bad scrapes and bruises here and there, but he had still caught everyone! Justice had been served, or whatever. If he got graded on that, he probably would have gotten an A—or at least a B+. But here, back in school, it was like none of that even mattered. Keiko didn't even remember.

And god damn it all if he wasn't sick of everyone being disappointed in him.

He decided then he was tired, and stood, not even bothering to collect the books on his desk- they weren't even his, anyway—and he headed for the door.

"Ah, Yusuke! Where do you think you're going?!" Keiko shouted, standing as well, but he didn't turn around.

"This sucks. I'm out."

"You can't just leave!"

"Watch me!"

He slammed the sliding door on his way out, then shoved his hands in his pockets and began storming down the hallway. Keiko didn't bother following him—no one ever really tried that hard to keep him in school.

They probably didn't even want him there anyway.

Enma

"… You made a bet?" the king repeated, though he knew he should hardly be surprised.

Hotaru seemed to recoil further, looking up at him with sad, guilty eyes and a weak smile. "Sort of… it was a contract."

"It was a bet."

"Er… yes."

"And you lost."

"I shouldn't have lost, though," Hotaru defended weakly. "Technically, they cheated—Shinobu surrendered before anyone even threw a punch!"

"Did you account for such actions in this contract you wrote?"

"Well… no…"

"Then how exactly is it cheating?"

"Because that's just totally cheap!"

"It sounds like they just outsmarted you," Enma replied through gritted teeth, and Hotaru shrank away again.

"Er… maybe… I guess."

The king stared her down for a few moments more. He wasn't quite sure how to describe Hotaru at the moment—pitiful wasn't the proper term, as he felt no pity for her, and miserable wasn't right either, as the girl seemed far from apologetic.

Pathetic, perhaps, he thought, before sighing heavily and bringing two fingers to the bridge of his nose to rub out a rising headache.

"And now Sensui has aligned himself with them?"

"Basically."

"With the Black Book Club?" Enma repeated, almost in disbelief at the statement. Shinobu's psychotic breakdown had been entirely due to the activities of that club, so it seemed preposterous for him to ever willingly form an alliance. However, when Hotaru nodded weakly in response he let out another exasperated sigh. "You do know what this means, don't you?"

"I… um… I think so," Hotaru mumbled back, wringing her hands through her sweater. "We can't stop them now. The SDF isn't strong enough to take on Sensui."

"Exactly."

"Um… but I was thinking… um…"

"What?"

"Well…" she struggled to find the right words, and Enma knew from her hesitation that she was about to say something stupid. "Um… can't you just… I mean, can't you stop them?"

He almost meant to laugh at such an absurd request. "You mean me go to the Ningenkai to stop a few angry humans?"

"A few super powerful angry humans—yea."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Why not?" she whined.

"Because I do not waste my time on silly matters," the king scoffed back. Surely Hotaru should know this by now—he hadn't gotten personally involved in an incident in thousands of years. He was king after all- an administrator. An executive. He did not, and would not serve on the ground.

That besides, it wasn't as if this situation were really that disastrous.

"You said Shinobu is sick, correct?" he asked, remembering the small detail from Hotaru's earlier recanting of her newest conflict. "Something terminal, yes?"

"Yea," she confirmed, scratching the back of her head and shuffling her feet. "I guess he has like… a year? Maybe a few months."

"Then we'll wait."

Hotaru seemed surprised by that and stared up at him for a long while after he spoke. He always found it strange how she reacted to some of his orders—most in his service didn't even make eye-contact, much less stare. The girl really did lack any sense of tact.

"You mean just wait for him to die?" she asked, her brows furrowed. "Doesn't that seem a bit… risky?"

"Are you questioning my orders?"

"Er, not exactly," she defended meekly. "It's just that—well… I mean, if this tunnel of Sakyou's works the Ningenkai will be completely overrun! I mean… you know that, right?"

He flinched. He was king—how could he have not known such an obvious fact?

The Ningenkai had faced a persistent threat of being overrun for thousands of years. The demons who consumed human flesh—kiran, as they were called in some circles—were growing restless. Though his men had attempted to stifle underground routes that brought human flesh into the Makai, it was impossible to stop the trade entirely. And, as the trade continued, so did the numbers of kiran increase.

Of course, he knew about such a threat. In reality, it was Hotaru who was naïve.

"This is why we have the barrier, need I remind you," he sighed, irritated. "Even if a tunnel is open, it will not allow for the real threats to pass. Therefore, we will wait until Sensui's time is up, and then we'll deal with whoever remains. It is a simple solution."

"I guess…" Hotaru offered with a half-hearted shrug. "Seems like it'd be pretty easy for you to just—"

"—As I said, I do not handle such matters personally," he barked suddenly, and she shrank back once more. "My men will handle Sakyou's tunnel when the appropriate time has come. Until then, consider your assignment over."

"And that's it?"

Hotaru seemed troubled by the simplicity of it all, and to be honest Enma could not blame her. He had made the situation out to be dire, so as to motivate her to truly take action as best she could. However, the truth was, it was not so serious a situation as he made it seem.

"Hotaru…" he began slowly, unsure as to whether he should tell her the truth or not. He knew she was not the best to trust—loose lipped and clueless as she was—and yet, as always, he found himself with a strange desire to be honest with the small girl. "There have been rumors."

"Rumors?" the girl repeated. "Rumors of what?"

"A plot."

"What… what sort of plot?"

"A plot to over throw my rule," he said finally, his gaze drifting elsewhere. "A plot that likely will start as Sakyou's did—with a tunnel from the Makai."

He gazed out of the windows of his throne room, yet all the while he watched the girl out of the corner of his eye—he waited for a movement, or of any sign of duplicity, yet he saw none. Hotaru often blurred the lines between what was acceptable and what was treasonous, but at least in this matter, she appeared to be innocent.

"You… you thought Sakyou might be a part of this plot?" she replied, stumbling over her words and sounding a bit out of breath.

"Precisely," he responded with a brief nod. "Your interaction with them has proven otherwise, however. Sakyou his tunnel are unrelated to these rumors. Even if they are true, Sakyou and his men will not affect the outcome."

"I see…"

"And therefore, we can forget this ever happened. I suggest you do not mention it."

Hotaru feel silent, and Enma let the silence rest.

The rumors had first reached his ears many years ago—before Sensui was even a candidate for the detective position. And ever since he had first heard them- tales of a sign, a battle flag from centuries ago, waving proudly through the skies of Makai—nothing had yet to come. The chances of this being nothing more than talk were strong, however once he had heard of Sakyou's tunnel he had begun to worry.

But now he knew it was nothing more than another mad human bent on world destruction. And that was just a day in the life.

"So… Yusuke can still be spirit detective?" Hotaru asked suddenly, in a meek voice, from down below him.

Ah, that's right. That's why she was doing this in the first place, he thought, the question catching him off guard. Honestly, he had never really cared in the first place about who filled that position, or if it was ever filled again at all.

"Yes. I will allow Yusuke to remain as detective," Enma replied, and instantly Hotaru seemed to relax. Clearly she had been worried, though he had no idea why she took such stock in this boy. Perhaps she sought to repair her reputation—Sensui's breakdown had been almost entirely blamed on her, as she had served as his assistant, and since he had gone rogue her reputation around Reikai had been even worse than it was before.

Still though, despite the fact that she was clearly relieved, she offered little in the way of thanks.

"Oh. Well, that's good then," was all she replied, along with a light bow at the shoulders.

Really, the girl was absolutely hopeless when it came to manners.

"But," he began again, and instantly she tensed once more. "Should he turn out like the last one, understand that I will hold you entirely responsible."

"Uh… right."

"You understand?"

"Yea, I get it. I'm responsible for him."

"You're responsible for him if he fails."

"Uh… yes. Okay. That," she mumbled back awkwardly before bowing once more and turning to leave. "Now that we've got that settled, I guess I'll get going…"

Though Enma still wasn't entirely sure she understood what he was implying he didn't feel the need to push the issue further. Truthfully, Hotaru and her little Yusuke were such a small spot on his radar—such a minute issue on his list of things to do—that he was irritated at the very prospect of having to discuss it. Whether or not she understood the meaning in his words was inconsequential—they had been said, procedure had been followed, and now he was free to move onto other topics. He had far more pressing matters to deal with. He always did—such things came with being king.

However, particularly now, there were far, far more dangerous beings that needed to be dealt with.

"Hotaru," he stated plainly, and the girl stopped in her tracks. "We are not yet finished."

She turned slowly, looking a bit intimidated. "Um… what else was there?"

"The matter of the stolen items…" he began, and Hotaru nodded solemnly. Even she, as witless as she was, undoubtedly understood the seriousness of that situation, and he was honestly surprised that she hadn't sought to deal with it first. After all, no matter how strong Sensui had become, his threat was nothing compared to the threat that now lay inside Enma's own palace.

"They've all been returned, and Koenma worked out the, uh… punishments…" Hotaru explained reluctantly. Judging by her emphasis, he could only assume she found his son's methodology to be unexpected. Truthfully, so did he, though after some deliberation he had begun to understand Koenma's reasoning.

"Gouki's dead, of course. And Hiei's being released in a few days to begin his parole," she continued, looking uncomfortable. "And… Kurama is… well…"

"An appointed emissary."

"Yes…"

"And?"

Hotaru looked up, seemingly confused. "And what?"

Is she really so clueless? He thought to himself, keeping his face expressionless as it always was.

"I understand you have given yourself the title of emissary," he began, already frustrated with her lack of understanding and persistent confusion. "But I hope you have not forgotten what your true role here at Reikai is… You are an informant and, as such, I expect you to inform me of all pertinent information."

"Um… well, I just told you about the case…"

"I already know about the case."

"And Koenma told you all about the proceedings."

"He did."

"So…"

He gave her a long look, but her confusion did not relent. She really was so dull, it was hard to understand how she managed any of her affairs at all. When he had first met her face-to-face a hundred or so years ago, she had seemed quite valuable—she knew things his own information network did not, and the information she provided him was valuable enough for him to even overlook the fact that she kept her sources anonymous. However, once he had employed her he had begun to see her for what she really was—she was not clever, nor was she remarkably convincing. She wasn't a good informant because of her skill, but rather because of dumb luck. Honestly, there was no other explanation.

Eventually, he accepted that, as always, everything needed to be explained plainly to her. And, as he spoke, he tried his best to keep hidden the deep sense of dread that arose inside his chest. Even he, with all his years of experience and all his power, found this a difficult subject to broach.

"Tell me what you know about Kurama."

Hopefully this chapter wasnt too long... please let me know your preference!

Reviews are always welcome! :3