The Yearning
The streets of Tokyo were busy at any given moment in the day. Even in the middle of the night, tired footsteps could be heard clamping down on the sidewalk, and the jingle of bicycles passing by was heard by the pedestrians. The middle of the day, when the sun was out, was the busiest time of the day, as thousands of walkers flooded the area. To the residents of the city, the hustle and bustle was a simple part of life, and just another aspect of everyday existence to deal with. Many tourists new to the area, however, were bombarded with thousands of different messages flowing into their eyes and ears, and could easily be overwhelmed by all the fantastic items that the huge city melded and created.
Most of the children who were on the street were eagerly clasping onto the hand of an adult, looking forward to getting away from the wave of people that came in every direction. One youth, however, was marching soundly North without any aid from any adult. He had his eyes closed, in fact, and was munching on a piece of candy that he had swiped from a nearby vendor. He didn't appear to particularly care where he was going, and when his eyes were open, he was giggling at some strange thing that he could see on the street.
After several minutes of apparent wandering, he began to grow bored and yawned. Just as he did so, he crashed into a suit-clad man near a fountain. The man fell to the ground onto his back, but the child only opened his eyes to see the damage he had caused. Immediately he walked over to the gray-haired man.
"Sorry, old man, I didn't see you there." He grinned.
The man shook his head and stood up. "No bother." He said gruffly, brushing the dust off his suit. As he looked down, he caught a good glimpse at the boy who had ran into him. What he saw startled him. The boy couldn't have been over ten years old, yet the boy didn't look hurt by the collision at all. He was wearing a strange sweater, which was red at the chest and the back, but was yellow at the sleeves. Even stranger was the fact that the boy's hat, which had been intentionally turned sideways, had colors that matched the shirt exactly, with red and yellow stripes running down the sides of it and covering his wild brown hair.
The boy, noticing that the man was staring him, began to turn a little red, though the wide smile never disappeared from his face. "Well, if that's that, can I go, or is there something I'm supposed to do?" He asked, stuffing the candy wrapper he was holding into the right pocket of his jeans.
"Hold on a second, boy." The man said, leaning over. He had noticed three red stars lined up in a row just above the boy's left cheek. "Are those stars...tattooed on?"
The boy thought for a second, trying to think of what the best answer should be. "Uh...Sort of. The man who gave them to me didn't tell me exactly."
The man was taken aback. "What's your name, boy?"
"Rinku. What's it to you?" Rinku retorted, sticking out his tongue slightly. "Are all encounters people have meant to be so long and boring?"
"Where are your parents, Rinku?" The man asked, ignoring the rather rude comments the boy had just made.
Rinku pulled a piece of paper out from the backpack he was carrying. "They're at this place, and I'm supposed to meet them there in two hours. Can you tell me how to get to..." He examined the paper for a moment. "Kyota Mountain?"
The man grunted, knowing that the boy was obviously lying. "That's it, boy. You're coming with me to the police station." He grabbed Rinku by the arm, and tried dragging him along. He was shocked when he saw the boy easily break free from his grasp.
"Hey!" Rinku cried, still smiling. "I'm not following you. I have to find this Kyota Mountain place."
The man bent over. "Now what would a ten year old boy need to be doing at that place?" He asked sternly.
Rinku glared at him and thrust his fists into the year. "I'm not ten! I happen to be 138 years old!"
The man furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"
Rinku covered his mouth immediately after. "Oops...Hey, I hear my mom calling me. Gotta go!" Before the man could say anything, Rinku had disappeared into the crowd, lost in the masses. The man, now muttering to himself about the stupidity of kids today, simply walked off.
The boy, once sure that he had rid himself of the meddlesome man, breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew," he said quietly. "Gotta remember about all these ningen. They hardly live past 70. So I guess I am about ten years old to them..." Rinku's mind wandered off as he counted ten off his fingers. As he finished, he shrugged. "Oh well." He prepared to stick the paper back in his bag, but he decided to read through it again. Finding a bench planted next to the entrance of a park, he sat down and thumbed through it.
"Dear Rinku," he began, favoring the read it softly aloud so he could remember it better, "You have been invited to a very special meeting taking place at the summit of Kyota Mountain, about a one hour hike north of Tokyo, Japan. The meeting will take place on April 4th, 2004, anytime in the afternoon. You're guaranteed to be surprised by what we have in store for you." As he finished, he folded the paper back into the bag, laid back and sighed.
This sucks, he thought to himself as he stared into the sky. It's nearing sundown, and I have no idea where to find this place. Even if I do find this place, it might just be a trap. Maybe I should just ditch this and go back to Makai...
His thoughts were interrupted by the rumblings of an argument at a nearby cafe. Rinku tried to see what was going on, but was unable to see over the considerably taller heads of other onlookers, so he hopped off the bench and pushed his way through the crowd.
"Mister, please!" He heard a woman shout at the top of her lungs. "We don't have what you're looking for, and you're causing a scene! Please leave!"
Rinku arrived at the front of the crowd just in time to see a very familiar man swagger over the front of the counter. "Whadja mean you don't got no whiskey? This is a n-normal place, ain't it? An' normal places got whiskey!" The woman shrieked and ducked behind the counter, and several people in the circular audience began pushing the man around.
Rinku looked on in shock for a moment before regaining thoughts. He stared at the man from head to toe. He was a very imposing man, standing over the vast majority of onlookers at what looked like 6'3" or so, and with very broad shoulders to match. He had a bright blue mohawk that stuck up another six inches or so, and his eyes were slurring around aimlessly. The man looked like he hadn't shaved in weeks. He was clad in a black leather jacket and fatigue-colored pants, coupled with a pair of boots with feathers adorned on the sides.
Once the demon realized who the man was, he ran forward as fast as he could. "Chuu! Chuu!" He cried, running up to the mohawk-adorned man and wrapping his arms around his thighs, the highest up he could reach. "Where've you been all these years? It's been so long...Chuu?" Rinku looked up to see his friend staring down at him with half-open eyes.
"Wuzzat thing on my leg?" Chuu muttered. "Get off..." He began swatting at Rinku, hoping to get him off. "Whoore you?" He bent down and looked at the child before recognizing him. After doing so, he rubbed his eyes. "Woah...Rinku, is that you?" He asked.
"Yes!" Rinku shouted, exasperated. The two hugged again, and were about to begin talking when they heard the rumblings of the crowd behind them. Both grinned stupidly and looked at each other, trying to think of a good excuse.
Finally Chuu opened his mouth. "Oh, uh...This here's my, uh...younger...cousin. Ain't that right, Rink?"
Rinku nodded eagerly. "Right. So come on, cuz. Let's get out of here before you punch someone's lights out."
The two noticed that many people in the crowd were giving them evil glares as they exited, but they paid as little attention to it as they could, and descended onto a dirt path in the nearby park. Once they were free from the ears of anyone nearby, Rinku allowed himself to chuckle at his towering friend.
"So what was with the whole pretending to be drunk thing back there?" He asked, laughing.
Chuu grunted. "You could tell I was faking it?"
"Oh, come on." Rinku said, leaping onto Chuu's back and pulling out four of his yo-yos. "I've seen you drunk thousands of times. You think I can't tell when you're faking it or not?"
The older demon laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I don't know, that girl was giving me a hard time, and she was really fine looking, so I thought I'd just have a little fun with her, you know?"
Rinku nodded, pelting Chuu's right knee with three of his yo-yos. "Yeah, I guessed that was what it was. A pretty girl. But oh well. How long has it been, pal? Six, seven years?"
"Something like that." Chuu said. "When was the last time we saw each other? Back in the Makai Bujutsukai of 1998 or somethin'?"
"I think so." Rinku said, hopping off Chuu's back. "That's the tournament Yomi won, isn't it?"
Chuu nodded. "Yeah. So what've you been up to lately? Just been hanging out in Makai and that stuff?"
"Sort of. I've been drifting in between Makai and Ningenkai for the last couple of years." Rinku shrugged. "What about you?"
"The same, but I spent most of the time in Makai, just going to parties and getting destroyed. Speaking of that..." Chuu stuck a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small flask. "I forgot that I had some gin here." He twisted the top off and took three huge swigs of the drink. After he swallowed, he allowed a huge burp. "Ah, nothing beats good old booze." He grinned, tucking the flask away.
Rinku winced. "You're not going to get drunk, are you?"
Chuu shook his head. "You kidding? Ningen stuff don't get me drunk no more. Nowadays I can only smashed off demon drink."
"Well, that's good...I guess. So what are you doing here in Tokyo? Did you get the same note I did?"
"Note?" Chuu burped again. "You mean you got one of those too?"
Rinku's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Pull yours out!" Both pulled the slips of paper out from their papers and exchanged them hurriedly. After taking a few minutes to read them, they looked at each excitedly. "This is exactly the same as mine!" The two called out in unison.
"You mean you got the same note?" Chuu asked.
Rinku nodded. "Yeah! What do you think it means?"
Chuu shrugged. "No clue. I've never been to this Kyota Mountain, so I don't know nobody who's there. Do you?"
"Nope. But the sun's getting ready to set, so we should hurry up if we're going to make it there in time."
"Yeah. Maybe we can call out a taxi or a bus or something." The two hurried out of the park and waved down a passing cab, which took them several minutes to do so. The two got in the car, finding a angry young man driving the car.
"Alright, where you two punks need to go?" The driver asked in an irritating voice. Rinku and Chuu looked at each other and shrugged.
"Well...Can you take us to Kyota Mountain?" Rinku finally asked. The driver grunted. "I can take you to the base of that place, but there ain't no chance in Makai that I'm going all the way up."
Chuu leaned forward. "We'll take it. And step on it. We're in a hurry here."
"Yeah, yeah. Everyone's in a freaking hurry." The driver grumbled, revving the car into a very high speed. Rinku and Chuu watched silently as the car passed out of the enormous city and headed onto a nearly empty highway. The cab passed down the road for nearly half an hour, and the road they were on deteriorated into a simple dirt path.
After several minutes of silence, Rinku began fidgeting in his seat. Chuu, who was beginning to feel the effects of the gin, was in a more relaxed mood. Rinku pulled out all eight of his yo-yos and began twisting them around each other in an effort to amuse himself. Several minutes passed before he grew bored of the game and began staring out the window, noting that it had begun to sprinkle.
Another five minutes passed without note, and Rinku leaned forward. "Hey, pal, how much time before we reach the base of the mountain?"
"Quiet, you little brat." The driver snarled. "We'll get to the mountain when I damn well feel like it."
Rinku wrinkled his nose. "Geez, you don't have to get so..."
"Woah, man! Rinku, look outside my window!" Chuu called out suddenly. Rinku jumped on Chuu's back again to get a better view.
"What is it, what is it? I don't see..." Rinku's voice trailed off as he saw a single man walking along the same path they were traveling on. "Is that..."
"Yeah, it is! Driver! Stop the car!" Chuu shouted.
"Shut up! We don't have to stop for nothing! We don't to..."
"Oh, pipe down." Chuu said, growing angry. He gave the driver a swift headbutt, knocking him unconscious in front of the wheel. With no one to control the vehicle, it steadily swerved off the road and eventually crashed into a tree. Rinku glared at Chuu, who turned beet red.
"That probably wasn't a good idea." The smaller demon said bluntly. "But it doesn't matter. We gotta catch up with that guy so we can get a better look at him!"
"Right!" Both exited the car and ran as fast as they could to catch up with the walking person they had seen. As they approached him, the man turned around to face them. His eyes lit up as soon as he did so.
"Rinku! Chuu!" The man shouted, running towards them. He was a man of average height, with his blond hair arranged in a high-rise flat-top. He was dressed in a bright yellow muscle shirt and matching sweat pants, and he had no shoes on his feet as he walked. He embraced the two eagerly, and the three began talking in tandem, with no one able to understand the other.
"Suzuki! God, it's been a long time! Where've you been? Rinku and I didn't see you at the Makai Bujutsukai back in 1998." Chuu said.
Suzuki laughed. "That's because I haven't been in Makai. I've spent the last decade here on Ningenkai, trying to understand mankind better."
Rinku frowned. "Why?"
The young man shrugged. "Well, after Shishiwakamaru told me that I can't really hate humans until I learn more about them, I just decided to spend a little time in their world and see what it was like."
"That's cool, I guess. What'd you find out, then?" Chuu asked half-heartedly, pulling his gin flask out again.
"This place is pretty amazing." Suzuki continued, as though he hadn't heard Chuu. "I was in a place called Turkey last year. Beautiful. Probably the best place I've been to on Ningenkai. Yusuke and Genkai weren't kidding when they said this place had some wonderful places to visit."
Rinku nodded anxiously, hoping to lead the conversation in a different direction. "So why are you here? Did you get a note like Chuu and I did?"
Suzuki was taken aback. "Yeah, I got a message to come here today. How did...?" He started.
"Don't bother asking. Both of us got the same message." Rinku said. He looked at the ground and began thinking aloud. "Hmm...If you got it, then maybe Touya, Jin and Shishi did, too."
"Hey, maybe they..." Chuu's voice trailed off briefly. "...Maybe one of them sent these, and they're planning some sort of reunion."
"Well, the only way we're going to find out is if we go there." Suzuki reasoned. "You two want to come with me?"
"Sure!" Rinku glanced back at the totaled car he had been in a moment ago. "I don't think that thing'll help us much now, so let's go."
The three friends made their way to the base of a hill, where they navigated their way for another hour. They made small talk along the way, but all three minds were more focused on what awaited them at the top of the mountain. After a while of climbing and hiking, they came to a seemingly endless flight of stairs. As they ascended the steps, they could tell a growing wind was coming in their direction. Paying no attention to it, they continued climbing the steps.
After ten minutes of stair-stepping, Rinku wiped a sweat of brow from his forehead and took his cap off, letting his unkempt hair waft in the breeze. "Man, I'm so tired of all this climbing crap."
Chuu chuckled. "Hey, Rink, yer starting to pick up some words from the ningen, you know?"
"Really?" Rinku asked, surprised. "I guess since I'm hanging out with them, I'm starting to pick up some of their slang...dude." He grinned as he said the final word.
"Yeah, it's the same with me." Suzuki said. "After being in so many different cultures and stuff, you start to pick up all the different ways they talk."
"I guess." Rinku said. "I just..." Before he could continue, a huge gust of wind ripped through the stairway, knocking Rinku and Suzuki over.
"Ah! Chuu, help!" Rinku called out. As Chuu ran over to help them to their feet, he could see the massive gust completely change directions and head their way again. Chuu was caught off guard, and the patch of wind blasted past him again. Still, Chuu remained grounded. He watched as the wind turned around yet again. This time Chuu was ready, however, and just as the gust began coming through, he ripped out a huge punch, hoping to connect with something. He was successful, and the gust of wind immediately disappeared. After Chuu was able to see again, he helped Rinku and Suzuki back up. The two took a moment to head back down some steps before they saw what lay on the ground.
"What the..." Rinku stared, dumbfounded.
"It's Jin!" Suzuki shouted. The three helped the demon to his feet, where he began rubbing his head constantly.
"Eh..." Jin glanced at the three for several seconds before recognizing them. He was a demon of average height, with fiery red hair that resembled a fireball on his head, with a single, unicorn-like horn sticking out from the center of it. Large fangs could be seen in his mouth, and he had long, elf-like pointed ears. He was clad in a white, toga type of robe, with straps tied over both his shoulders to keep it on. He staggered to his feet and laughed timidly. "Your punch hasn't gotten any lighter, Chuu." He said.
"Jin!" Rinku leaped into the air. "You could tell it was us the whole time?"
"You bet!" Jin shook his head and elicited a huge smile. He hugged Rinku. "So how've you been, little guy? It's been a couple of years since I last saw you. What, back in 1996 or 97?"
Suzuki chuckled, sticking his hand out to Jin for a firm handshake. "It seems like it's been a long time since any of us have seen each other. So where've you been during this time, Jin?"
Jin shrugged, beginning to hover in the air. "You know, here and there. I've been pissing off both Koenma and Mukuro by traveling between all three words whenever I want. Those chases alone are enough to keep me happy. No one's caught me yet." He grinned. "Not even Hiei."
Chuu arched an eyebrow. "Wow. That's something to be proud of."
"Yeah. So did you all get that some message to go to this mountain, or am I..."
"Yes!" Chuu, Rinku and Jin all shouted together. "We're all here for that reason, so let's get to the top!" Rinku called out.
"Definitely." Suzuki said, joining the other three. "You know, if all four of us are here, that means Shishiwakamaru and Touya might be on their way too."
Jin glared at him. "Duh." He grinned.
Rinku laughed. "You've spent some time on Ningenkai too, haven't you, Jin?" He asked.
"Yeah." Jin nodded. "Like I said, I've been all over the place. Europe, this Japan place, everywhere."
The four continued for another half hour, still speaking in small talk, until finally they reached the top of the mountain. As they arrived, they saw a huge dojo place in front of them. The four looked at each other in curiosity.
"What is this place?" Chuu asked, ready to nod off to sleep.
"I don't know, but it's definitely pretty." Rinku looked at Jin and Suzuki. "Do either of you know this place from anywhere?"
Both shook their heads. "It looks like it'd make a great place to train, though. It's isolated from everyone, it's certainly beautiful..." Suzuki touched a patch of moss gingerly.
"Yeah..." Rinku said, staring at the sky. "Oh, look! I bet if we find the right spot, we can see the sunset."
Jin's grin widened. "Well, what better place to go than the roof? Hop on, pal, and I'll get us there in no time." Rinku laughed and climbed on Jin's back. Jin darted several hundred feet into the air without any trouble and headed back down onto the roof of the dojo, where the two sat down to relax.
Back on the ground, Chuu laughed. "Look at those, acting like a bunch of little kids."
"Well, Rinku is pretty much just a little kid, remember?" Suzuki reminded him.
Chuu thought for a moment. "...Oh yeah, you're right. Well, come on, Suz. Let's take a tour of this place."
"Sure." The two circled around the dojo, Chuu paying hardly any attention. Suzuki, however, surveyed the surroundings with great interest, hoping to give them some clue as to why they were there. He found nothing that could help, however, save some beautiful flora that he was able to admire for a moment.
After the two made a full revolution around the building, they were rejoined by Rinku and Jin. "Man, you guys missed a fantastic sunset." Jin piped up. I never get tired of those things. It's one of the advantages to living in the human world. Sometimes I..."
He was interrupted by a voice below them. "Still haven't stopped talking in these eight years, Jin?" A cold voice asked. Four heads turned to see a short demon climbing up the final steps. He was wearing some sort of headband that allowed patches of his green hair to sprout through. He was wearing a dark blue over what appeared to be a chain-link upper piece of armor. He also had a blue toga, similar to that of Jin's, except that his only had one shoulder strap, going over his left shoulder.
"Touya!" The four erupted together as they saw their friend approaching. Touya found himself the subject of a barrage of hugs and embraces as he arrived at the dojo. By the time he found Chuu was spilling what smelled like cheap beer on him, he recoiled.
"Hey, Touya, where've you been? It's been way too long since we were in a tag team fight together." Jin chuckled.
Touya allowed a tiny grin to crawl across his face. "I've been around. So what kind of party have I been missing up here? Did you all send me this note?" Touya asked, waving a piece of paper in front of them.
All four shook their heads. "We all got the same one." Rinku replied, showing his own slip as proof.
"Well, that only leaves Shishiwakamaru." Suzuki said. "Do you think he's the one that brought us all together?"
"You kidding?" Chuu laughed heartily. "He's the least likely of all of us to even show up to this thing. What makes you think he'd be interested in seeing us again? It looked like he didn't even care the last time around."
"Yeah, but if it he was invited, he'll come." Suzuki argued. "Trust me."
"What makes you so sure?" Jin asked.
Suzuki shrugged. "I've known Shishi a long time. I know it doesn't look like he cares about any of this sort of stuff, but he does. And knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up really soon."
Touya looked around briefly. "This is a very nice place outside. Have any of you gone inside to inspect it?"
"No, we all just here ourselves." Chuu said, pulling another flask out of his back pocket and beginning to chug it down.
"I see." Touya said. "Well, seeing that I've spent a good three weeks finding this place, I intend to find out why I did so." Touya pushed through the others and walked up to the front door. Before he could open it, however, he heard the other four behind him.
"Wait, Touya! Don't you think we should all go in together?" Rinku asked.
"Yesssh...That'd be good..." Chuu added.
Touya shrugged. "Alright, fine...Chuu, look out!"
Everyone turned their heads just in time to see Chuu tumble off a small deck and onto the grassy field below. The other four immediately swarmed around him to help him up, but it took several minutes to hoist him up. They finally did so by propping him up against the side of the wall.
"Come on, Chuu!" Rinku said, slapping Chuu's face. "I thought you said you couldn't get drunk off human alcohol anymore!"
"I lied." Chuu muttered.
"Let's just leave him out here and tell him what we see inside. He's not going to miss much anyway." Touya grunted.
"No way!" Jin shouted back. "We can't just leave our pal here in the dark. Hey, Suzuki, give me a hand here."
Together, Suzuki and Jin picked Chuu up, each of them clutching a shoulder. Rinku, who was watching and feeling very amused, suddenly heard another pair of footsteps coming from the stairs. He skipped over to them and beamed when he saw whose feet they belonged to.
"Shishiwakamaru!" He shouted as loud as he could, causing the birds in the nearby trees to scatter. Touya grinned, while Jin and Suzuki nearly dropped Chuu in surprise. They watched as a tall samurai demon walked onto the grassy field. He had blue hair that extended in the back as a ponytail, and also had it in bangs in his forehead. Two single strands of hair stuck up like antenna as well. He was dressed in a light gray kimono, and was barefoot. A huge sword clinked slightly at his side as he moved, and his face was looking down at the ground.
"Did I crash some sort of family gathering?" He asked quietly. "No matter." He pulled a slip of paper out from his kimono. "I received this notice, so I am permitted to be at this location today."
"Right, right, we all got one too. So where've you been these last few years?" Suzuki asked, hugging Shishiwakamaru briefly.
"I've been traveling around Makai, honing my skills, perfecting my craft, beckoning at the call..."
Jin groaned and nudged Suzuki. "Did you have to ask him that? Anyway, all six of the mighty Rokuyoukai are here, so let's check out the inside of the building."
"Hey!" Rinku and Chuu shouted. "Rokuyoukai was the name of our team back at the Ankoku Bujutsukai!" Rinku corrected.
"Yeah, but the name means "Six demons," so I thought it fit us pretty well, too. Come on, don't you think so? It's a really good name, after all. I like it, anyway."
Chuu shrugged. "I guess. Still..."
"Must we stand out here and argue all day?" Touya sighed. "You are all free to, but I am going inside." No sooner had he said that when his five friends joined at the front door. Suzuki knocked timidly, but no one answered.
"Doesn't look like anyone's there." He analyzed.
"Genius thought." Shishiwakamaru groaned. "Is the door locked?"
Chuu checked, and was surprised to find that he could turn the knob of the door. "No, it ain't. Should...should we go in?" He asked.
"Yeah, go in!" Rinku cried, pushing Chuu forward into the room. The six walked in calmly, and found themselves in a room that was almost completely encased in darkness, the only light coming from candles that been placed on ledges on the walls.
The six stood together in darkness for several minutes, each unsure of what to do. Finally Rinku gathered the courage to speak. "Are we supposed to be doing something now?" He asked.
"How should I know?" Touya hissed.
"I didn't ask you." Rinku returned.
"Well, it was my shoulder you nudged, so I assumed that you were referring to..."
"Gentlemen, I welcome you all to this humble abode." A voice towards the opposite end of the room said. Six heads turned to see a beacon of light emit from apparently nowhere and spotlight on a figure that had appeared hidden until that moment. The six were all in shock when they saw who it was, and all six mouths were capable of saying only one word.
"Kurama!?"
The streets of Tokyo were busy at any given moment in the day. Even in the middle of the night, tired footsteps could be heard clamping down on the sidewalk, and the jingle of bicycles passing by was heard by the pedestrians. The middle of the day, when the sun was out, was the busiest time of the day, as thousands of walkers flooded the area. To the residents of the city, the hustle and bustle was a simple part of life, and just another aspect of everyday existence to deal with. Many tourists new to the area, however, were bombarded with thousands of different messages flowing into their eyes and ears, and could easily be overwhelmed by all the fantastic items that the huge city melded and created.
Most of the children who were on the street were eagerly clasping onto the hand of an adult, looking forward to getting away from the wave of people that came in every direction. One youth, however, was marching soundly North without any aid from any adult. He had his eyes closed, in fact, and was munching on a piece of candy that he had swiped from a nearby vendor. He didn't appear to particularly care where he was going, and when his eyes were open, he was giggling at some strange thing that he could see on the street.
After several minutes of apparent wandering, he began to grow bored and yawned. Just as he did so, he crashed into a suit-clad man near a fountain. The man fell to the ground onto his back, but the child only opened his eyes to see the damage he had caused. Immediately he walked over to the gray-haired man.
"Sorry, old man, I didn't see you there." He grinned.
The man shook his head and stood up. "No bother." He said gruffly, brushing the dust off his suit. As he looked down, he caught a good glimpse at the boy who had ran into him. What he saw startled him. The boy couldn't have been over ten years old, yet the boy didn't look hurt by the collision at all. He was wearing a strange sweater, which was red at the chest and the back, but was yellow at the sleeves. Even stranger was the fact that the boy's hat, which had been intentionally turned sideways, had colors that matched the shirt exactly, with red and yellow stripes running down the sides of it and covering his wild brown hair.
The boy, noticing that the man was staring him, began to turn a little red, though the wide smile never disappeared from his face. "Well, if that's that, can I go, or is there something I'm supposed to do?" He asked, stuffing the candy wrapper he was holding into the right pocket of his jeans.
"Hold on a second, boy." The man said, leaning over. He had noticed three red stars lined up in a row just above the boy's left cheek. "Are those stars...tattooed on?"
The boy thought for a second, trying to think of what the best answer should be. "Uh...Sort of. The man who gave them to me didn't tell me exactly."
The man was taken aback. "What's your name, boy?"
"Rinku. What's it to you?" Rinku retorted, sticking out his tongue slightly. "Are all encounters people have meant to be so long and boring?"
"Where are your parents, Rinku?" The man asked, ignoring the rather rude comments the boy had just made.
Rinku pulled a piece of paper out from the backpack he was carrying. "They're at this place, and I'm supposed to meet them there in two hours. Can you tell me how to get to..." He examined the paper for a moment. "Kyota Mountain?"
The man grunted, knowing that the boy was obviously lying. "That's it, boy. You're coming with me to the police station." He grabbed Rinku by the arm, and tried dragging him along. He was shocked when he saw the boy easily break free from his grasp.
"Hey!" Rinku cried, still smiling. "I'm not following you. I have to find this Kyota Mountain place."
The man bent over. "Now what would a ten year old boy need to be doing at that place?" He asked sternly.
Rinku glared at him and thrust his fists into the year. "I'm not ten! I happen to be 138 years old!"
The man furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"
Rinku covered his mouth immediately after. "Oops...Hey, I hear my mom calling me. Gotta go!" Before the man could say anything, Rinku had disappeared into the crowd, lost in the masses. The man, now muttering to himself about the stupidity of kids today, simply walked off.
The boy, once sure that he had rid himself of the meddlesome man, breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew," he said quietly. "Gotta remember about all these ningen. They hardly live past 70. So I guess I am about ten years old to them..." Rinku's mind wandered off as he counted ten off his fingers. As he finished, he shrugged. "Oh well." He prepared to stick the paper back in his bag, but he decided to read through it again. Finding a bench planted next to the entrance of a park, he sat down and thumbed through it.
"Dear Rinku," he began, favoring the read it softly aloud so he could remember it better, "You have been invited to a very special meeting taking place at the summit of Kyota Mountain, about a one hour hike north of Tokyo, Japan. The meeting will take place on April 4th, 2004, anytime in the afternoon. You're guaranteed to be surprised by what we have in store for you." As he finished, he folded the paper back into the bag, laid back and sighed.
This sucks, he thought to himself as he stared into the sky. It's nearing sundown, and I have no idea where to find this place. Even if I do find this place, it might just be a trap. Maybe I should just ditch this and go back to Makai...
His thoughts were interrupted by the rumblings of an argument at a nearby cafe. Rinku tried to see what was going on, but was unable to see over the considerably taller heads of other onlookers, so he hopped off the bench and pushed his way through the crowd.
"Mister, please!" He heard a woman shout at the top of her lungs. "We don't have what you're looking for, and you're causing a scene! Please leave!"
Rinku arrived at the front of the crowd just in time to see a very familiar man swagger over the front of the counter. "Whadja mean you don't got no whiskey? This is a n-normal place, ain't it? An' normal places got whiskey!" The woman shrieked and ducked behind the counter, and several people in the circular audience began pushing the man around.
Rinku looked on in shock for a moment before regaining thoughts. He stared at the man from head to toe. He was a very imposing man, standing over the vast majority of onlookers at what looked like 6'3" or so, and with very broad shoulders to match. He had a bright blue mohawk that stuck up another six inches or so, and his eyes were slurring around aimlessly. The man looked like he hadn't shaved in weeks. He was clad in a black leather jacket and fatigue-colored pants, coupled with a pair of boots with feathers adorned on the sides.
Once the demon realized who the man was, he ran forward as fast as he could. "Chuu! Chuu!" He cried, running up to the mohawk-adorned man and wrapping his arms around his thighs, the highest up he could reach. "Where've you been all these years? It's been so long...Chuu?" Rinku looked up to see his friend staring down at him with half-open eyes.
"Wuzzat thing on my leg?" Chuu muttered. "Get off..." He began swatting at Rinku, hoping to get him off. "Whoore you?" He bent down and looked at the child before recognizing him. After doing so, he rubbed his eyes. "Woah...Rinku, is that you?" He asked.
"Yes!" Rinku shouted, exasperated. The two hugged again, and were about to begin talking when they heard the rumblings of the crowd behind them. Both grinned stupidly and looked at each other, trying to think of a good excuse.
Finally Chuu opened his mouth. "Oh, uh...This here's my, uh...younger...cousin. Ain't that right, Rink?"
Rinku nodded eagerly. "Right. So come on, cuz. Let's get out of here before you punch someone's lights out."
The two noticed that many people in the crowd were giving them evil glares as they exited, but they paid as little attention to it as they could, and descended onto a dirt path in the nearby park. Once they were free from the ears of anyone nearby, Rinku allowed himself to chuckle at his towering friend.
"So what was with the whole pretending to be drunk thing back there?" He asked, laughing.
Chuu grunted. "You could tell I was faking it?"
"Oh, come on." Rinku said, leaping onto Chuu's back and pulling out four of his yo-yos. "I've seen you drunk thousands of times. You think I can't tell when you're faking it or not?"
The older demon laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I don't know, that girl was giving me a hard time, and she was really fine looking, so I thought I'd just have a little fun with her, you know?"
Rinku nodded, pelting Chuu's right knee with three of his yo-yos. "Yeah, I guessed that was what it was. A pretty girl. But oh well. How long has it been, pal? Six, seven years?"
"Something like that." Chuu said. "When was the last time we saw each other? Back in the Makai Bujutsukai of 1998 or somethin'?"
"I think so." Rinku said, hopping off Chuu's back. "That's the tournament Yomi won, isn't it?"
Chuu nodded. "Yeah. So what've you been up to lately? Just been hanging out in Makai and that stuff?"
"Sort of. I've been drifting in between Makai and Ningenkai for the last couple of years." Rinku shrugged. "What about you?"
"The same, but I spent most of the time in Makai, just going to parties and getting destroyed. Speaking of that..." Chuu stuck a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small flask. "I forgot that I had some gin here." He twisted the top off and took three huge swigs of the drink. After he swallowed, he allowed a huge burp. "Ah, nothing beats good old booze." He grinned, tucking the flask away.
Rinku winced. "You're not going to get drunk, are you?"
Chuu shook his head. "You kidding? Ningen stuff don't get me drunk no more. Nowadays I can only smashed off demon drink."
"Well, that's good...I guess. So what are you doing here in Tokyo? Did you get the same note I did?"
"Note?" Chuu burped again. "You mean you got one of those too?"
Rinku's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Pull yours out!" Both pulled the slips of paper out from their papers and exchanged them hurriedly. After taking a few minutes to read them, they looked at each excitedly. "This is exactly the same as mine!" The two called out in unison.
"You mean you got the same note?" Chuu asked.
Rinku nodded. "Yeah! What do you think it means?"
Chuu shrugged. "No clue. I've never been to this Kyota Mountain, so I don't know nobody who's there. Do you?"
"Nope. But the sun's getting ready to set, so we should hurry up if we're going to make it there in time."
"Yeah. Maybe we can call out a taxi or a bus or something." The two hurried out of the park and waved down a passing cab, which took them several minutes to do so. The two got in the car, finding a angry young man driving the car.
"Alright, where you two punks need to go?" The driver asked in an irritating voice. Rinku and Chuu looked at each other and shrugged.
"Well...Can you take us to Kyota Mountain?" Rinku finally asked. The driver grunted. "I can take you to the base of that place, but there ain't no chance in Makai that I'm going all the way up."
Chuu leaned forward. "We'll take it. And step on it. We're in a hurry here."
"Yeah, yeah. Everyone's in a freaking hurry." The driver grumbled, revving the car into a very high speed. Rinku and Chuu watched silently as the car passed out of the enormous city and headed onto a nearly empty highway. The cab passed down the road for nearly half an hour, and the road they were on deteriorated into a simple dirt path.
After several minutes of silence, Rinku began fidgeting in his seat. Chuu, who was beginning to feel the effects of the gin, was in a more relaxed mood. Rinku pulled out all eight of his yo-yos and began twisting them around each other in an effort to amuse himself. Several minutes passed before he grew bored of the game and began staring out the window, noting that it had begun to sprinkle.
Another five minutes passed without note, and Rinku leaned forward. "Hey, pal, how much time before we reach the base of the mountain?"
"Quiet, you little brat." The driver snarled. "We'll get to the mountain when I damn well feel like it."
Rinku wrinkled his nose. "Geez, you don't have to get so..."
"Woah, man! Rinku, look outside my window!" Chuu called out suddenly. Rinku jumped on Chuu's back again to get a better view.
"What is it, what is it? I don't see..." Rinku's voice trailed off as he saw a single man walking along the same path they were traveling on. "Is that..."
"Yeah, it is! Driver! Stop the car!" Chuu shouted.
"Shut up! We don't have to stop for nothing! We don't to..."
"Oh, pipe down." Chuu said, growing angry. He gave the driver a swift headbutt, knocking him unconscious in front of the wheel. With no one to control the vehicle, it steadily swerved off the road and eventually crashed into a tree. Rinku glared at Chuu, who turned beet red.
"That probably wasn't a good idea." The smaller demon said bluntly. "But it doesn't matter. We gotta catch up with that guy so we can get a better look at him!"
"Right!" Both exited the car and ran as fast as they could to catch up with the walking person they had seen. As they approached him, the man turned around to face them. His eyes lit up as soon as he did so.
"Rinku! Chuu!" The man shouted, running towards them. He was a man of average height, with his blond hair arranged in a high-rise flat-top. He was dressed in a bright yellow muscle shirt and matching sweat pants, and he had no shoes on his feet as he walked. He embraced the two eagerly, and the three began talking in tandem, with no one able to understand the other.
"Suzuki! God, it's been a long time! Where've you been? Rinku and I didn't see you at the Makai Bujutsukai back in 1998." Chuu said.
Suzuki laughed. "That's because I haven't been in Makai. I've spent the last decade here on Ningenkai, trying to understand mankind better."
Rinku frowned. "Why?"
The young man shrugged. "Well, after Shishiwakamaru told me that I can't really hate humans until I learn more about them, I just decided to spend a little time in their world and see what it was like."
"That's cool, I guess. What'd you find out, then?" Chuu asked half-heartedly, pulling his gin flask out again.
"This place is pretty amazing." Suzuki continued, as though he hadn't heard Chuu. "I was in a place called Turkey last year. Beautiful. Probably the best place I've been to on Ningenkai. Yusuke and Genkai weren't kidding when they said this place had some wonderful places to visit."
Rinku nodded anxiously, hoping to lead the conversation in a different direction. "So why are you here? Did you get a note like Chuu and I did?"
Suzuki was taken aback. "Yeah, I got a message to come here today. How did...?" He started.
"Don't bother asking. Both of us got the same message." Rinku said. He looked at the ground and began thinking aloud. "Hmm...If you got it, then maybe Touya, Jin and Shishi did, too."
"Hey, maybe they..." Chuu's voice trailed off briefly. "...Maybe one of them sent these, and they're planning some sort of reunion."
"Well, the only way we're going to find out is if we go there." Suzuki reasoned. "You two want to come with me?"
"Sure!" Rinku glanced back at the totaled car he had been in a moment ago. "I don't think that thing'll help us much now, so let's go."
The three friends made their way to the base of a hill, where they navigated their way for another hour. They made small talk along the way, but all three minds were more focused on what awaited them at the top of the mountain. After a while of climbing and hiking, they came to a seemingly endless flight of stairs. As they ascended the steps, they could tell a growing wind was coming in their direction. Paying no attention to it, they continued climbing the steps.
After ten minutes of stair-stepping, Rinku wiped a sweat of brow from his forehead and took his cap off, letting his unkempt hair waft in the breeze. "Man, I'm so tired of all this climbing crap."
Chuu chuckled. "Hey, Rink, yer starting to pick up some words from the ningen, you know?"
"Really?" Rinku asked, surprised. "I guess since I'm hanging out with them, I'm starting to pick up some of their slang...dude." He grinned as he said the final word.
"Yeah, it's the same with me." Suzuki said. "After being in so many different cultures and stuff, you start to pick up all the different ways they talk."
"I guess." Rinku said. "I just..." Before he could continue, a huge gust of wind ripped through the stairway, knocking Rinku and Suzuki over.
"Ah! Chuu, help!" Rinku called out. As Chuu ran over to help them to their feet, he could see the massive gust completely change directions and head their way again. Chuu was caught off guard, and the patch of wind blasted past him again. Still, Chuu remained grounded. He watched as the wind turned around yet again. This time Chuu was ready, however, and just as the gust began coming through, he ripped out a huge punch, hoping to connect with something. He was successful, and the gust of wind immediately disappeared. After Chuu was able to see again, he helped Rinku and Suzuki back up. The two took a moment to head back down some steps before they saw what lay on the ground.
"What the..." Rinku stared, dumbfounded.
"It's Jin!" Suzuki shouted. The three helped the demon to his feet, where he began rubbing his head constantly.
"Eh..." Jin glanced at the three for several seconds before recognizing them. He was a demon of average height, with fiery red hair that resembled a fireball on his head, with a single, unicorn-like horn sticking out from the center of it. Large fangs could be seen in his mouth, and he had long, elf-like pointed ears. He was clad in a white, toga type of robe, with straps tied over both his shoulders to keep it on. He staggered to his feet and laughed timidly. "Your punch hasn't gotten any lighter, Chuu." He said.
"Jin!" Rinku leaped into the air. "You could tell it was us the whole time?"
"You bet!" Jin shook his head and elicited a huge smile. He hugged Rinku. "So how've you been, little guy? It's been a couple of years since I last saw you. What, back in 1996 or 97?"
Suzuki chuckled, sticking his hand out to Jin for a firm handshake. "It seems like it's been a long time since any of us have seen each other. So where've you been during this time, Jin?"
Jin shrugged, beginning to hover in the air. "You know, here and there. I've been pissing off both Koenma and Mukuro by traveling between all three words whenever I want. Those chases alone are enough to keep me happy. No one's caught me yet." He grinned. "Not even Hiei."
Chuu arched an eyebrow. "Wow. That's something to be proud of."
"Yeah. So did you all get that some message to go to this mountain, or am I..."
"Yes!" Chuu, Rinku and Jin all shouted together. "We're all here for that reason, so let's get to the top!" Rinku called out.
"Definitely." Suzuki said, joining the other three. "You know, if all four of us are here, that means Shishiwakamaru and Touya might be on their way too."
Jin glared at him. "Duh." He grinned.
Rinku laughed. "You've spent some time on Ningenkai too, haven't you, Jin?" He asked.
"Yeah." Jin nodded. "Like I said, I've been all over the place. Europe, this Japan place, everywhere."
The four continued for another half hour, still speaking in small talk, until finally they reached the top of the mountain. As they arrived, they saw a huge dojo place in front of them. The four looked at each other in curiosity.
"What is this place?" Chuu asked, ready to nod off to sleep.
"I don't know, but it's definitely pretty." Rinku looked at Jin and Suzuki. "Do either of you know this place from anywhere?"
Both shook their heads. "It looks like it'd make a great place to train, though. It's isolated from everyone, it's certainly beautiful..." Suzuki touched a patch of moss gingerly.
"Yeah..." Rinku said, staring at the sky. "Oh, look! I bet if we find the right spot, we can see the sunset."
Jin's grin widened. "Well, what better place to go than the roof? Hop on, pal, and I'll get us there in no time." Rinku laughed and climbed on Jin's back. Jin darted several hundred feet into the air without any trouble and headed back down onto the roof of the dojo, where the two sat down to relax.
Back on the ground, Chuu laughed. "Look at those, acting like a bunch of little kids."
"Well, Rinku is pretty much just a little kid, remember?" Suzuki reminded him.
Chuu thought for a moment. "...Oh yeah, you're right. Well, come on, Suz. Let's take a tour of this place."
"Sure." The two circled around the dojo, Chuu paying hardly any attention. Suzuki, however, surveyed the surroundings with great interest, hoping to give them some clue as to why they were there. He found nothing that could help, however, save some beautiful flora that he was able to admire for a moment.
After the two made a full revolution around the building, they were rejoined by Rinku and Jin. "Man, you guys missed a fantastic sunset." Jin piped up. I never get tired of those things. It's one of the advantages to living in the human world. Sometimes I..."
He was interrupted by a voice below them. "Still haven't stopped talking in these eight years, Jin?" A cold voice asked. Four heads turned to see a short demon climbing up the final steps. He was wearing some sort of headband that allowed patches of his green hair to sprout through. He was wearing a dark blue over what appeared to be a chain-link upper piece of armor. He also had a blue toga, similar to that of Jin's, except that his only had one shoulder strap, going over his left shoulder.
"Touya!" The four erupted together as they saw their friend approaching. Touya found himself the subject of a barrage of hugs and embraces as he arrived at the dojo. By the time he found Chuu was spilling what smelled like cheap beer on him, he recoiled.
"Hey, Touya, where've you been? It's been way too long since we were in a tag team fight together." Jin chuckled.
Touya allowed a tiny grin to crawl across his face. "I've been around. So what kind of party have I been missing up here? Did you all send me this note?" Touya asked, waving a piece of paper in front of them.
All four shook their heads. "We all got the same one." Rinku replied, showing his own slip as proof.
"Well, that only leaves Shishiwakamaru." Suzuki said. "Do you think he's the one that brought us all together?"
"You kidding?" Chuu laughed heartily. "He's the least likely of all of us to even show up to this thing. What makes you think he'd be interested in seeing us again? It looked like he didn't even care the last time around."
"Yeah, but if it he was invited, he'll come." Suzuki argued. "Trust me."
"What makes you so sure?" Jin asked.
Suzuki shrugged. "I've known Shishi a long time. I know it doesn't look like he cares about any of this sort of stuff, but he does. And knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up really soon."
Touya looked around briefly. "This is a very nice place outside. Have any of you gone inside to inspect it?"
"No, we all just here ourselves." Chuu said, pulling another flask out of his back pocket and beginning to chug it down.
"I see." Touya said. "Well, seeing that I've spent a good three weeks finding this place, I intend to find out why I did so." Touya pushed through the others and walked up to the front door. Before he could open it, however, he heard the other four behind him.
"Wait, Touya! Don't you think we should all go in together?" Rinku asked.
"Yesssh...That'd be good..." Chuu added.
Touya shrugged. "Alright, fine...Chuu, look out!"
Everyone turned their heads just in time to see Chuu tumble off a small deck and onto the grassy field below. The other four immediately swarmed around him to help him up, but it took several minutes to hoist him up. They finally did so by propping him up against the side of the wall.
"Come on, Chuu!" Rinku said, slapping Chuu's face. "I thought you said you couldn't get drunk off human alcohol anymore!"
"I lied." Chuu muttered.
"Let's just leave him out here and tell him what we see inside. He's not going to miss much anyway." Touya grunted.
"No way!" Jin shouted back. "We can't just leave our pal here in the dark. Hey, Suzuki, give me a hand here."
Together, Suzuki and Jin picked Chuu up, each of them clutching a shoulder. Rinku, who was watching and feeling very amused, suddenly heard another pair of footsteps coming from the stairs. He skipped over to them and beamed when he saw whose feet they belonged to.
"Shishiwakamaru!" He shouted as loud as he could, causing the birds in the nearby trees to scatter. Touya grinned, while Jin and Suzuki nearly dropped Chuu in surprise. They watched as a tall samurai demon walked onto the grassy field. He had blue hair that extended in the back as a ponytail, and also had it in bangs in his forehead. Two single strands of hair stuck up like antenna as well. He was dressed in a light gray kimono, and was barefoot. A huge sword clinked slightly at his side as he moved, and his face was looking down at the ground.
"Did I crash some sort of family gathering?" He asked quietly. "No matter." He pulled a slip of paper out from his kimono. "I received this notice, so I am permitted to be at this location today."
"Right, right, we all got one too. So where've you been these last few years?" Suzuki asked, hugging Shishiwakamaru briefly.
"I've been traveling around Makai, honing my skills, perfecting my craft, beckoning at the call..."
Jin groaned and nudged Suzuki. "Did you have to ask him that? Anyway, all six of the mighty Rokuyoukai are here, so let's check out the inside of the building."
"Hey!" Rinku and Chuu shouted. "Rokuyoukai was the name of our team back at the Ankoku Bujutsukai!" Rinku corrected.
"Yeah, but the name means "Six demons," so I thought it fit us pretty well, too. Come on, don't you think so? It's a really good name, after all. I like it, anyway."
Chuu shrugged. "I guess. Still..."
"Must we stand out here and argue all day?" Touya sighed. "You are all free to, but I am going inside." No sooner had he said that when his five friends joined at the front door. Suzuki knocked timidly, but no one answered.
"Doesn't look like anyone's there." He analyzed.
"Genius thought." Shishiwakamaru groaned. "Is the door locked?"
Chuu checked, and was surprised to find that he could turn the knob of the door. "No, it ain't. Should...should we go in?" He asked.
"Yeah, go in!" Rinku cried, pushing Chuu forward into the room. The six walked in calmly, and found themselves in a room that was almost completely encased in darkness, the only light coming from candles that been placed on ledges on the walls.
The six stood together in darkness for several minutes, each unsure of what to do. Finally Rinku gathered the courage to speak. "Are we supposed to be doing something now?" He asked.
"How should I know?" Touya hissed.
"I didn't ask you." Rinku returned.
"Well, it was my shoulder you nudged, so I assumed that you were referring to..."
"Gentlemen, I welcome you all to this humble abode." A voice towards the opposite end of the room said. Six heads turned to see a beacon of light emit from apparently nowhere and spotlight on a figure that had appeared hidden until that moment. The six were all in shock when they saw who it was, and all six mouths were capable of saying only one word.
"Kurama!?"