Regular Disclaimers apply. I don't own anything! I'm just a big loser who abuses other people's characters! Forgive me! *falls over*
What's the Demon world called? What's the Youkai? What's the Makai? I can't remember~!! _

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With a soft, porcelain click, Kurama placed his chop sticks across the small, empty, blue rice bowl, laying it on the wooden counter near the little kitchen's sink. He contemplated washing his dinner dishes with a weary sigh, subconsciously clutching lightly at his white, cotton-clad midsection. Something he had eaten quite frankly hadn't agreed with him. He suppressed a moan, smirking to himself at his own patheticness. The Irony of being taken out by a single bowl of rice and vegetables prepared by his kind, loving, weak, human mother made him almost laugh at loud. He winced at what Hiei would say. He'd probably never speak to me again…either that or kill me for acting like such a ningen, he thought ruefully.

He'd tried his best to stay away from the foods he knew could cause him harm. Even though his mother worried and joked what kind of child she'd raised that didn't like chocolate, he'd been obliged to tell her it made him feel ill, which wasn't far from the truth at all.

For the life of him, he couldn't remember what his diet was 400 years ago in the makai as a youko. After he'd transferred himself into this body, he'd lost quite a few traits from him former life, in fact. He was no longer the vicious, merciless hunter he'd once been. A murderer still, yet a murderer for justice was what he preferred to call it, or at least what helped him sleep at night.

He switched off the living room light, leaving his dishes for the morning, and decided to take a nice, long shower before getting to his homework and eventually getting to bed.

Climbing the stairs to his bedroom, he raked a graceful hand through his fiery red tresses, sighing inwardly, snapping down the light switch that illuminated the stair in a fit of irritation and sulked into his room. He plopped down onto his bed and pulled the t-shirt from him lithe, toned body and fell back with a swoosh into his thick, warm comforter, crossing his arms behind his neck to support his head. Idly starting at the plain, white ceiling, he sniffed at the earthy, sweet aroma of incense that his room could never seem to rid itself of. Clad in nothing but his tight, worn, blue jeans, he twirled his fingers through his hair and grunted defiantly while turning his green gaze towards the open window, watching as the wind billowed his tan, satin curtains. Perhaps he wouldn't take a shower tonight. Not finish his homework, do nothing but fall asleep here and let everything start over in the morning…


"Kurama! Wake up quick! Lord Koenma has an urgent mission for you!"

The red head awoke, to his startlement, to bright pink eyes framed by light, bouncy blue-green hair as the female guide to the spirit world in her salmon pink colored kimono, floats above him anxiously on that oar of hers.

"Botan?" He asked somewhat stupidly in his half daze, having drifted off to darkness but an hour before her arrival, "What is it? Why so late?"

She nodded and raised a slender eyebrow at his current stare, half naked and half hanging from the bed. He mumbles a 'please don't ask' and reaches for his shirt across the blanket.

She spoke quickly and informatively to him as he dressed, " Lord Koenma discovered early last night a caravan of slave traders has made its way through the Demon world, capturing and slaughtering everything that comes into its path! Not even plants are defenseless enough for them!"

"Plants in the demon world were never very defenseless to begin with however," Kurama added with an agitated shake of his head as he listened.

"Lord Koenma demands they be stopped and I've been requested to gather you for this mission," the girl smiled happily.

Kurama had a bad feeling, "Am I to be alone on this mission?"

"No," she smiled, "Hiei's already waiting for us in the spirit world with lord Koenma."

End chapter 1