"You called sir?"
Botan entered her little boss' office. She expected him to be visibly preoccupied and furiously stamping a pile of paperwork. Yet he was only perusing a thinly stapled document when she approached him. She wanted to sulk a little because she had been in and out of this room almost everyday to discuss her desire for a career change. She had been a ferry girl for quite some time now and she was really good at it. In fact, Koenma used it as an argument against her wish to become a spirit detective. She was the best ferry girl the Spirit World had produced and no one could ever replace her in that aspect. The prince also pointed out that she could still participate in detective work without becoming one by joining Yusuke in his mission as his assistant but lately, it was Kurama who was helping Yusuke out. She had not been involved in any operations since she asked permission from Koenma to train as a spirit detective and Botan suspected that her boss had something to do with it. The prince reasoned out that Kurama who chose to stay in the human world was a more viable option so it made sense for him to become Yusuke's partner in his work. He also mentioned that the number of detective missions actually dwindled because Enki was able to uphold his agreement with King Enma to prevent demons from leaving Makai. At that moment, Botan was certain that Koenma would make another excuse not to grant her request for a career move if she would bring it up again.
"Ahh good. You're here." The prince placed down the document he was reading and clasped his hands together like what he always do when he's going to share some bad news. "There have been several reports about missing Youkai women near the territory of the Datenshis."
The ferry girl stared at him blankly. She familiarized herself with the demon world when she went there with him to watch the Makai tournament but it was the first time she had heard of this place. "Is that in Makai?"
"Geographically, yes but politically, no. It's an independent state. The leader of the Datenshis, Garyuu made an agreement with Enki that he would acknowledge Makai laws but the rule over his territory shall remain with him and his progeny."
"And Enki and your father agreed?"
"They had to. Garyuu is an upper S class demon and their territory lies next to a portal leading to Ningenkai. He is treated like a god in his land and on his command, he can mobilize his army to march into the portal and attack. He is currently honoring his word and the portal remains closed as of this day."
"That's a relief! So... this is just a missing persons case then?"
"We don't know. It's for you to find out. Are you up for it?"
Koenma fixed his eyes on the ferry girl and watched her mouth opened into a grin. He knew what her answer would be even without her response. Her eyes were sparkling with joy, her palms closed together as if her prayers had just been answered.
"Of course, I would love to!"
The prince sighed and reached for his stamp to approve the document on his desk. He was reluctant to send Botan out with very little training but Enki sought for his help and emphasized the gravity of this mission. If majority of the missing Youkai women did not end up in Reikai as dead souls, then they must have headed to Ningenkai which posed as a problem because that would mean Enki failed to do his duties as a ruler of the Demon World, and he, as a ruler of the Spirit World, failed to prevent that from happening. He could not imagine the punishment King Enma would impose on them. His bottom started to tingle from remembering the thousand slaps his father lashed out on him when the artifacts of darkness were stolen. He did not want to experience the pain again. He had already sent Yusuke and Kurama to check out the portals in Ningenkai for a possible breach but they found nothing as of their latest report. Enki had also sent out his men to examine all portals leading to the Human World in Makai except for the one in Datenshi territory. The portal was inside Garyuu's palace and for some reason, Enki's male envoys were turned down from having an audience with the Datenshi king. Enki suggested to send a female undercover detective but there hadn't been any since Kuroko Sanada. Well, there hadn't been any except for a ferry girl who repeatedly expressed her interest to become one.
"When could I leave for Makai?" Botan asked. The excitement painted on her face was undeniable.
"Hold your horses. You won't go there alone. Being an assistant is not enough training to be a full-blown detective. You need a partner to help you out."
"Ohh, is Yusuke coming over?"
"No, he's busy but I have the perfect guide for you." Koenma pressed the intercom. "Let him in Jorge."
The doors slid open and a familiar fire demon stepped into the room looking pissed. He was especially selected by Enki to work with Koenma's chosen detective who he found out just now was the loud-mouthed ferry girl.
"Hiei!" Botan greeted him. He's not exactly what she's hoping for but they were friends... or just acquaintances... or just co-workers. Now she's becoming anxious how they would team up for this undertaking. They're exactly the opposite of each other. She's bubbly, he's stoic. She's chill, he's hot-tempered. She's tall, he's... never mind. She won't cower down before him.
"Well, you already know each other so no need to introduce yourselves. I wish you all the luck. Please come back with a successful outcome, and please come back alive." The prince gave Botan the stamped document containing the details of the mission.
The ferry girl read through the report while she and the fire demon walked along the halls of Koenma's palace. They were headed to a room where the portal to Makai would be opened.
"The missing Youkai women don't seem to be dangerous based on their profile. They don't look like they would rebel against Enki's rule. Maybe they were taken by force." Botan deduced after going through the document.
"Don't be so complacent. They are still demons, you know. There's a bad seed in everyone of us." Hiei scoffed at her.
"Well, your sister is a demon but she isn't dangerous." Botan grinned at him.
Hiei grumbled and remained quiet until they were in front of the portal. "Look, woman. I prefer to do this mission alone. I suggest you just stay here and tell your boss that you're too inexperienced for this. But if you still insist, I won't hesitate to leave you behind if you would slow me down."
"This is my mission, too. If you think I would drag you down, then let's start on equal footing." Before the fire demon could react, Botan grabbed his hand and pulled him into the portal with her.