Disclaimer: I don't own any of the YYH or SM characters.
Tenshi's Notes: Minna-chan, well it took me quite a while here, and I'm fairly surprised at the response I got for this fic. I didn't think that many people knew that much about YYH, but hopefully those that won't will hang on anyway. *grins* I've tried to give a longer chapter to make up for not updating for a while, but in all honesty, I'm very caught up in writing my Rurouni Kenshin fic. If anyone's interested in it at all, don't hesitate to contact me. Anyway, essentially, with the exception of Perfect World, my other fics will be put on hold for a wee bit. Bear with me, I'll get back to writing the others soon! Special thanks to Eternal-chan for encouraging me to go on with this fic, and all my other chans else for always being so supportive. To my reviewers, arigatoo!! I cannot thank you enough for caring enough to write something down. That's it from me! Ja! ^-^
Last note: If it helps, for those who don't know YYH, imagine Hiei to be like Veggie. *grins*
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Chapter 1
Shimatta, the morning had been tiresome. It had been several long weeks, having captured one of the most elusive demons. So much time had been spent on tracking and analyzing data, hunting it intensely. She had lived and breathed her work, and the intensity at which she performed left little room for anything else. She had arrived at work that morning, absolutely dead on her feet, having not taken a break in weeks. She had just received yet another urgent message from Koenma. As much as she was physically drained by her job at the moment, there was nothing she loved more than the challenge of capturing something or someone elusive. She had been in the middle of retrieving her morning cup of tea, looking up some files, and in the process of returning Koenma's phone call when she had heard a loud crash.
She had looked up to find three men in her office. One was extremely tall, orange-haired, and obviously ningen. The other two were demons, and well-known ones at that. Kurama, or Minamino Schuichi (as she had once known him), was a handsome boy with a mane of red-hair heavily tinged with pink and green eyes that saw too much. He carried himself with a sort of grace that almost bordered on femininity. The shortest one, Hiei, was the one that caught her attention the most. He radiated arrogance and surliness. From his stance to the way his deep red eyes narrowed on her, he was the epitome of rudeness and bad-tempered all rolled into one. A white bandana went across his forehead, and his black spikey hair, with a tuft of white right in the front, stood on end. She couldn't explain her fascination with the demon. There was just something about him that she found attractive.
Cursing herself silently, she reminded herself that she was in a line of business that didn't allow relationships. Not only that, she had more important issues to deal with. She had almost laughed at the imperious demon when he had realised that she was the bounty hunter. She supposed looks could be deceiving. She was tiny, with exquisitely feminine features, and just an overall aura about her of innocence and purity. Reaching behind her back, she closed her eyes for one brief moment, and a business card appeared in her right hand. Bringing it back, she showed it to them. Tsukino Usagi. Bounty Hunter.
The video conference phone rang behind her unexpectedly. A series of beeps sounded up before an image popped out of nowhere.
"Usagi-san…"
"Koenma-sama!!" She yelled out, annoyed that the little lord of the Spirit Realm had over-ridden her security features again.
A young boy wearing a hat bearing the symbol of King followed by "Jr." somehow spoke despite the pacifier that sat in his mouth.
"Usagi-san, I called you several hours ago!" Impatience was dripping off his tone, and the tension on his young face was somewhat unnerving to most human eyes. But then again, Koenma was no ordinary boy. His youthful appearance belied his age of being well over hundreds of years old, as well as the son of Enma Daiou. "I have a new assignment for you."
"Koenma-sama!" Usagi berated, much to the astonishment of the three men behind her. "How many times do I have to remind you I don't work for you anymore?"
A chuckle sounded out. "Gomen nasai, Usagi-san. I suppose I forget myself at times. It's not that often that I lose one of my top detectives."
Top detective? This ningen grows more intriguing by the moment, Hiei thought to himself. Long silvery-blond hair was pulled back by a simple knot, lying loosely, well past her shoulders. She had deep blue eyes, and beautiful skin. He caught himself, startled by the thought. He had never paid much attention to women, believing them to not be worth his time or effort. With the exception of his sister, he generally stayed clear of them.
"What's the situation?" Usagi asked in a serious tone, her expression undergoing a change, fascinating the fire demon to no end.
"A demon's running loose in your world unfortunately. We need you to capture…"
"Urameshi Yuusuke. Hai, I already know." She replied softly, a strange note entering her voice.
"Nani?!" Four voices yelled simultaneously, only to halt just as suddenly.
"Who else is there?" Koenma demanded imperiously. "I swear I heard that Kuwabara's voice."
"Hai, Koenma-sama." Kuwabara called out sheepishly, his head appearing in the video conferencing screen, along with two other demons.
Koenma bit his tongue, holding back a series of expletives that he longed to unleash. He shouldn't have been surprised that the threesome would turn up eventually. What he hadn't counted on was the fact that they would even turn to Usagi. And the fire demon? What would make him agree to allow a girl to help them out? Koenma felt a strange shiver up his spine as he watched Usagi's eyes flash with a deep blue fire.
"I will find him, Koenma-sama. That much I can promise. Send me the usual details, and I will proceed as soon as possible."
There was something he wasn't seeing, Koenma realised quickly. He was missing the whole picture. Usagi… something had changed about her the minute he had mentioned finding the half demon half human. Her usually sunny nature while dealing with him had evaporated rather quickly, dissolving into a cool, hard determination that shone in her being. Then, all that remained on the screen was the harsh sound of the connection having been severed.
Whirling around to look at the three men, Usagi felt nothing. This was it. This was what had been building up for so long in her life. It was time to find Urameshi Yuusuke. Her obligations had finally caught up.
"I will find Yuusuke for you, and I'm not even going to charge you a fee." She remarked as she began moving around her office with practice and ease. Pulling a few duffel bags out of the closet, she began methodically placing items and weapons that she would need in order to find him. His path of destruction would be easy to trace, though to get into his mind set, she would need to tap into her own, reaching into areas she had never wanted to use. But she had no choice. Continuing with her packing, they noted that very little of her movements were done without efficiency. She began retrieving a barrage of instruments that boggled the men's eyes. How on earth was this tiny little female going to lift all this stuff up? Kuwabara was the first to regain his tongue.
"I will come with you," he announced, causing Usagi's eyes to turn to him.
"This is not open for discussion. I am on an assignment here. What do you think I am doing?"
"You forget we have participated in many tournaments," Kuwabara growled angrily.
"You also seem to forget that you almost died many times," she replied coldly.
"As class B demons, I think we are more than capable of handling ourselves." Kurama interjected softly.
"Perhaps, but I work alone. I have no intention of seeing my rate of success being destroyed by a bunch of tag alongs."
"You insult us, little girl?" Hiei finally spoke up, menace evident in his tone.
"Look, I don't mean to. I just don't work well with others. It's as simple as that."
The screen flashed once again, and Koenma's face glared at them all. "I can't believe you turned the phone off on me."
"You still haven't sent over my details, Koenma-sama."
"You're going to allow the three of them to accompany you, Usagi-san."
Her jaw fell in disbelief as anger and rage built up in her. Her plans were about to be ruined.
"Iie! I work alone, you know that!" She yelled in frustration.
"Not any more you don't. If you don't want your license revoked, you'll do as I say."
Something in Koenma's eyes flashed a warning, and Usagi seethed. The onlookers could see the battle going on between the lordling and Usagi, before she finally gave in.
"You owe me for this," she bit out before terminating the connection on a surprised Koenma's face.
Inhaling a deep breath, she tried to settle her thoughts, remembering how life used to be with her mother. Her gentle, sweet mother who had tried to teach her good things. Sounds of happy laughter and all the wonderful feelings she used to have flooded her mind. She recollected the hugs, and how they made her feel so warm and safe. She remembered the doll she had gotten for her sixth birthday, and how it had been so pretty. A soft smile appeared on her lips, as the anger and rage slowly ebbed away. I miss you so much Mother…Turning around to address the three men once again, she said evenly, "Just don't get in my way. I won't wait for you." With that, she disappeared into a room to retrieve more items.
Kurama looked on the scene with much amusement. It was strange to see how the girl he had once known in school could turn out this way. But then again, life hadn't exactly been fair to her. He had known about her identity of course, and had known that Hiei would react extremely strongly (although that in itself was a mild understatement) against a ningen bounty hunter, much less a female one. She was certainly attractive with her long silvery blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She had an air of fragility that reminded him of Yukina, though he knew that opponents had frequently been captured for misjudging her. That was something she did not hesitate to use to her advantage. He was looking forward to seeing her work, having never seen her in action in years. But even more amazing than her skill was Hiei's reaction to her. That was something that bore closer examination.
Hiei stared at the direction she took off in before turning away his gaze hastily. He could not explain his reactions towards the ningen female, and he wasn't sure he liked what he was experiencing either. There had been a coldness and bite to her tone the moment she heard Yuusuke's name, and he hadn't been quite sure what it had represented. He was fairly certain she didn't mean any harm, but for Koenma to send them out with her, he was sure that the young lord had his suspicions about her. The intensity in her eyes though… there had been something strangely familiar about that look. As if he had seen it somewhere before.
Suddenly, she emerged from the room, and he almost dropped his jaw. Summoning his iron-will and self-control that took countless of years to develop, he was able to compose his facial expression to look at her with suitable nonchalance. She was wearing a black tank top tucked into black pants with cargo pockets on the side. Her long hair had been pulled back into a bun and her face seemed somehow paler than ever. She opened a drawer at the desk and began removing weapons from it. An odd barrage of knives and guns emerged, along with several items he could not identify. She began carefully inserting and inspecting each weapon before tucking it carefully on her well-toned body. Only the slight tightening of her jaw revealed the tension in her body. Throwing on a black skin-tight jacket, she motioned towards them. "How will you be getting around?" Usagi asked as she began punching a series of buttons on her computer and retrieving a set of printouts. Glancing over at the information quickly, she frowned and muttered to herself.
"What is it?" Kuwabara demanded, slightly ticked off that they were being forced to depend on this tiny female to find his best friend. It offended his male pride severely and it would be even worse if she did indeed find Yuusuke.
"It may prove more difficult to track him than I first assumed. His path is erratic, and there is no way of knowing where he will end up next. No matter, we'll have to go to his last place of destruction and search for clues there. Hopefully, he'll have left some behind."
"And what if he didn't leave any traces behind?" Kurama asked softly.
"I didn't get to where I am by relying everything on chance," she replied with an odd gleam in her eyes. The guys knew that that was all she was going to say on that matter.
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The drive was long and silent. As it turned out, the last town Yuusuke had destroyed was only two hours' away. She downshifted the gears of the Jeep to make her way up a particularly treacherous slope. Usagi knew full well that the guys weren't happy with what they had found out about her, with the exception of Kurama of course. She had known him when he was Schuichi and a fellow student in class. She remembered how the girls in class used to squeal when the red-haired boy would show up. Quiet, and sweet, he had been the shyest boy in school. On Valentine's Day, she remembered how she finally worked up the nerve to give him a card. He just smiled beautifully at her, and at age 7, he had been her first crush. Those feelings quickly died when other aspects of her life changed unexpectedly.
She clenched her jaw in memory and tried to clear her mind quickly. It was when her mind became fogged up like this that she could die on the job. She had no intention of dying, not at this age, and not before she finished what she came here to do. She wondered why the memories of her past were emerging as strongly as they were, but then she remembered the mission at hand. She glanced over at the fire youkai beside her and wondered why on Earth he had chosen to sit beside her. He looked humourous actually, and she found her lips threatening to break out in a smile at his sullen look. Truth be told, the frightening demon looked more like a hyperactive child that had been forced to stay still for hours. She forced herself to focus once again on the road, her eyes widening in horror at the carnage that appeared before them. Stepping on the brakes quickly, her keen eyes noted on one particular survivor partially hidden by the bushes. As the rest of the group jolted in the vehicle, she had already jumped out and sprinted towards the prone figure.
She's fast… Three thoughts echoed simultaneously as they made their way out of the jeep.
Usagi cradled the young boy in her arms, careful not to move him any more than she needed to. He appeared to be around 8 years old, doe-brown eyes shimmering with pain. Her heart clenched at the all-too-familiar sight, and she could feel the tears welling in the backs of her eyes. Numerous cuts covered his poor battered body, and a particularly nasty gash on his forehead caught her eye. Pressing as hard as she could, the blood still oozed from her fingers as the young boy winced in pain.
"Have… have you seen my sister?" He croaked out.
"I'm afraid not," Usagi whispered softly. She registered the approach of her three companions in the back of her mind, though the welfare of the boy was of utmost concern.
"The demon… he came through… and he killed everyone," the young boy sobbed, unable to help himself. "Mom, Dad… they were trying to protect Lily and I… but he didn't care. He just shot this energy from his hands and killed them right in front of us."
"Did he say where he was going?" As sad as the boy's situation may have been, Kuwabara was still concerned with one thing only. He had to find his best friend.
"No… do… do you guys see that light? Lily? Is that you?" The young boy whispered, a glazed look appearing in his eyes. A crooked smile appeared on his face, the look almost obscene and clashing with the evidence of Yuusuke's rampage.
She almost let her tears go as she felt his body slump against her. Not before she heard him whisper, "I'm coming, Mom, Dad, Lily. Wait for me. I'm coming."
It took away her soul each time she had to go through something like this. Vivid reminders flashed through her head, as memories of her own past swept through her. The tears wouldn't fall. She refused to let it happen. Biting her lip, it took her but moments to compose herself as she suddenly looked up at the three men. A look of concern had appeared on Kurama's face, and the orange-haired baka actually looked sympathetic. The short fire demon said nothing, merely surveying the scene with no emotion. She hardened her heart, like she had countless of times before that. She would not allow it to get to her. She could not afford to. She had more important things to tend to.
Hiei didn't mistake the look that came over her. He knew that she was about to cry before he saw her pulling out her defensive walls in order to continue what she was doing. Odd. He had been like this once, when he had been younger. But harsh lessons in life had taught him that wearing his heart on his sleeve only caused you more pain, and gave enemies insight to your weaknesses. He wondered how she was able to cope and live with the pain. Strangely enough, he found it difficult to fathom the same emotionless nature that he lived by existing in her.
Pulling out a series of instruments, she began carefully scanning for energy signatures. Each demon had its own unique one, and it was identified them much like each human's DNA sequence. And she was extremely familiar with Yuusuke's. As the data readings sent out a series of spikes and valleys, she confirmed the readings. He had been here. She analyzed samples and had even managed to find a drop of blood that Yuusuke had left behind. Carefully storing the sample in her blood work kit, she made a mental reminder to have it examined at the closest clinic they could find. Inspecting a map she had brought along, she marked the town's location and stared at it thoughtfully. Erratic! Her mind screamed out immediately, although she had long learned to hold back her first impressions. Nothing was as it seemed. A town several hundreds of miles outside of Tokyo, then headed north for no apparent reason before veering sharply to the right.
"Looking for clues?" Kurama inquired from behind her right shoulder.
"Hai. It makes no sense so far. His path is unpredictable, and normally demons have a purpose when they take off like that. He could just want to destroy for the sake of doing so, but that's not him."
"And how would you know?" Hiei asked with deadly alertness.
Cursing herself silently, Usagi lied glibly. "Based on the character descriptions and what I know of him from his work as a tantei, he's not someone who does something without purpose. Even with the demon influence strong in him, he's after something." And he also knows I'm not far behind…
Hiei seemed satisfied with the answer for now, though he knew that there was more to it than she was letting on. This ningen definitely bore watching. And as such, this was probably the reason why Koenma ordered them to follow her.
"Look, it's getting late here. We should probably make camp for now. We'll resume the search tomorrow morning."
Moving towards the back of the jeep, she quickly retrieved some materials before tossing them in Kuwabara's arms.
"You do know how to set up a tent do you?"
"Of course!" Kuwabara yelled indignantly as he tried to juggle the materials.
"And I presume you two will be fine?" She motioned towards the two demons.
"Hai, Usagi-chan." Kurama replied, and her eyes widened suddenly at the name. It had been years since he called her that. Why was Kurama doing this?
"I'll be back in the morning," She announced, slinging a huge bag across her back.
"Where do you think you're going?" Hiei demanded.
"None of your business."
Ignoring him, she disappeared into the night. Hiei's eyes narrowed. Like hell I'm just going to let her leave us alone like this while she does God knows what.