Author's Notes: This is the second chapter of my story! YAY! I bet some of you thought that this would never come, am I right? Well! Never fear! Here it is! ( There's a lot of introducing and explaining in this chapter. Some may find it boring, but.*shrugs* .it needs to be done so that the story can get going.

Reikai is the Spirit World
Ningenkai the Human World
Makai the Demon World
Ki is Power
Hai is yes.
Baka is fool

Disclaimers and Copyrights: I do not own any of the Yu Yu Hakusho characters or ideas from the show. Hoshi Komogata, Kohana Ashigato, The Tear of Time's Fire, the other crystals, and all my other original characters are copyrighted to me. Water Guardian helped me with "The Tear" names. And I also have to give my thanks and some credit to my friend, Thornball (you know who you are! ;)) some credit for helping me to edit my chapters! Greatly appreciated and a great help! Some copyrights may be added in the future.

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Chapter 2 Three Against One

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The heat of the day hasn't risen yet, leaving the morning cool and refreshing. As the young lady and Yusuke walk in different directions she lets the wind play with her hair, allowing it to wreath about. The naïve teenager walks gracefully down the sidewalk with a slight sway in her hips, and lets out a rare, soft sigh of content. She's acting the part of a fourteen-year-old girl who goes by the name of Kohana Ashigato, and she does play the part perfectly, a dead on bull's eye! She even pulled the wool over the eyes of the one who's supposed to be one of the most powerful, "kick-ass" humans alive!

With this in mind, her confidence soaring, and pushing a devilish smile off her face, Kohana walks through the City Park's gate to take the short cut home! As she passes through the iron gateway, she begins to marvel at the beauty of the park! Sure, it wasn't as exotic or as wild as the dark forests back in her home world, but they still had some nice qualities. The natural perfumes of the trees and flowers grace her nose, making her think of home again, and not the home with the white painted fence around the yard. Her other home, in Makai! The girl walks down the beaten path, enjoying the songs of the birds above her head and glancing toward the people sitting on the benches that line the path at intervals. She admires how they deal with so many calamities and hardships, yet they seem as happy as if everything was a piece of cake at teatime.

After about fifteen to twenty minutes, she steps through another tall iron gateway and onto the concrete of the sidewalk. The peaceful tranquility of the park is shattered to bits as the sounds of car engines and horns can be heard. The traffic signal turns red and Kohana jogs across the street along the crossway, just in front of the vehicles. She jumps over a white fence, though she could have easily opened the gate, heading toward a white house with pale blue shutters and doors, a really quaint looking dwelling. Opening the door she's confronted by an orange tabby kitten as he rubs against her legs, purring softly.

"Hello, Tappa! How's my baby boy?"

Kohana detaches her fingers from around the straps of her backpack, leaning down and scooping up the petite kitten that gives her a darling little meow in answer to her question. She cuddles the little kitten close to her as she walks into the kitchen. A young woman with a green apron on is bent over, pulling out a sheet of hot chocolate chip cookies. She's forever baking treats, and it's unbelievable how the family stays so thin and healthy. The woman straightens up, placing the cookie sheet upon a hot pad before turning around to face Kohana. The woman's hair is black and short, cut to her mid-cheek, and she has slate gray eyes that are always shining. Her cheeks are creased in a bright, cheery smile.

"Hana-chan! Where have you been all morning?"

The young girl allows the woman to wrap her arms around her shoulders in an affectionate, motherly embrace, though the kitten in her arms is protesting with squirms and meows as he feels squished between the two. The woman laughs and releases Hana from her hug, gently scratching the kitten behind the ears. She reaches around to untie her apron, eyes showing that she's expecting an answer from her daughter.

"Don't worry, Mom! I just went and grabbed a few things from the grocery store and picked up a few new shirts! I can't ever have enough nifty shirts!"

The mother smiles and affectionately strokes her child's head before turning and shutting the oven door and putting the cookies on a grate to cool. At that Kohana walks through the kitchen and into the living room, walking past a young man who's indulged in a science fiction novel, engulfed in the suspense of the author's imaginative words. He has blonde hair that is cut very short, almost shaved, and his brown eyes are wide with fascination, anticipation, and disbelief as he's reading. Tappa meows at the fatherly figure but Kohana shushes him before heading upstairs. Zenko and Kumiko Ashigato are cool sort of people. Zenko is always into his science fiction and fantasy novels and his writing career while Kumiko is into her baking, knitting, painting, and her music. Yeah, they're cool and very talented, but never would understand if she told them about her real self.

Kohana bounds up the steps, her pounding footsteps echoing off the off- white walls. At the top of the steps there is a hallway, a door on the way end being her parent's room, two doors on the left behind her room and a bathroom, and on the right there's a guestroom and a fun, creative room. All the doors are painted the pale blue except for her door, which is black with red letters that have her name, Kohana, painted on it. She slowly opens her door and walks inside, dropping her pack down right inside. Her room is painted black with a large painting of the planet Saturn and stars painted on the walls and ceiling. The large planet was painted so large so only half could be shown. Her other walls are decorated with posters of flames and cats. On one poster there's a kitten with a leather jacket on, flames shooting up behind him. The bolt words on the poster say, "I'm a child of hell! But just a softy in disguise!" Sitting on her dresser is flame of light fabric set atop a black base where air causes the "fire" to flutter and flicker wildly.

Shutting her door and locking it, she picks up her pack and sets it on her black clad bed. The teenager pulls out many things from her pack, such as chips and a bottle of soda along with some clothing she had also bought. But the last thing she pulls from the blue denim bag is a red crystal, the symbol of an hourglass on one main face and the symbol of a key on the opposite one. Slowly Kohana runs her hands over the carvings, marveling at the way they are inscribed so precisely and so perfectly. Sitting down on her bed to view the crystal more comfortably, she draws in a sharp breath of pain.

The girl's face tightens with the pain, which laces through her side and through her entire torso. Slowly she lifts the side of her shirt up to examine her side where the blast of Yusuke's Spirit Gun had slammed into it. A large, painful welt adorns her side, causing an immense amount of pain. Slowly she drops the edge of the shirt, holding the glowing crystal in her hands, bringing it a foot from her face, and staring at it with large crystal blue eyes that reflect the very light the artifact shines with.

"This prize was worth the pain and effort."

So this young teenage human girl, Kohana Ashigato, is really the female Fyre Fox, Hoshi Komogata. She had taken the form of a human to escape the Reikai law officials, disguising her appearance and her ki. Hoshi has been wanted for other crimes besides the stealing of the Tear of Time's Fire and so she had come to Ningenkai, taking the form of a young girl, a few months before the robbery of the King's Vault. Kohana was adopted by Kumiko and Zenko Ashigato, who didn't wish to burden their new daughter with questions about her past or cause her any strife or sorrow. So she has come to be living with the two humans, building a life of her own here in the human world while hiding.

The weariness of encountering the Spirit Detective begins to take the toll on the girl, with the pain stinging her weak human body. With eyelids growing heavy and drooping, she gets to her tired feet, hiding the crystal within a small secret compartment in the base of her flickering flame. She literally falls onto her bed, wrapping her arms around her pillow and hugging it to her as she slowly begins to drift off. Before the darkness of slumber and the visions of dreams take over reality, she allows herself a small, wicked grin and a snicker. Gradually the tempo of her breathing slowing and the fatigue drives her into a peaceful sleep where she can relax and escape the troubles of the worlds.

***

The hot noon sun has risen into the sky, resting at its highest peak in the blue, when Yusuke gives up searching the city. He had been searching all morning for the thief, with nothing turning up. Frustration and sheer hopelessness is written all over his face and in his eyes. With his hands thrust in the pockets of his green jump suit, he walks slowly down the sidewalk, looking left and right, across the busy, car crammed street and into the store windows. The Spirit Detective can't sense the Youkai's ki anywhere! It's like she disappeared into thin air, without a trace or clue! Hoshi was gone, either having disappeared, as it seemed, his ki "readings" were screwed up by everything else, or she had changed form to hide herself. His brow furrows and his teeth clench together angrily. ~'If she did that I'll never find her!~'

Finally, the Spirit Detective returns to Reikai, completely discouraged and annoyed. He throws doors of Koenma's office to reveal the toddler ruler stamping away at huge stacks of paperwork. The young ruler has a frustrated mark upon his forehead as he furiously brings the stamp up and down upon the papers, merely chucking the sheets to the side and barely casting a glance to the ogre who is frantically piling them up onto neat stacks. Yusuke blinks a few times as he watches the scene before him, coughing to get Koenma's attention. By the look on his Spirit Detective's face, the toddler could tell that the search didn't go well. He throws his chubby hands to his head, shaking it and pouting.

"My dad's gonna kill me when he finds that crystal missing! How did that demon manage to get into the vault?!"

Yusuke shrugs shoulders in a nonchalant manner, unsure himself but not willing to voice his uncertainty. He takes the time, while his boss is pouting and worrying, to look at the mess of jumbled papers scattering and littering the room. Koenma seems really busy today and Yusuke wonders if it's because the Tear of Time's Fire was missing. The boy mentally shrugs it off and turns his brown eyes back to the ruler.

"What does this crystal actually do, Koenma?"

The toddler looks up from his pouting, for the moment forgetting about his father, the paperwork, the ogre standing right next to him, and everything around him. He has a thoughtful look in his large eyes as he stares at the Detective, whom's half standing in front of and half leaning against his desk. Yusuke has a curious look in his eyes and it really might help the boy to see the urgency in the situation.

"Well, the origin of 'The Tear' is a longer story. But I believe what it can do is of more importance at this very moment. Some call it the Key to Time's Gate! It's a very powerful item that can be used for great good or great evil. But for the past couple hundred years it has only been used to send many, many people to their graves in bloody massacres and wars. If you give some thought to the nickname of the crystal, you can get an idea of the power it holds. Using the crystal, the owner can control time, the very fate placed upon each of our heads! It has been known to even allow a few to travel through the winds of time, moving to the past or to the future! By doing this and by screwing with that time, they could destroy the present, changing it into something completely different from what we know!"

Yusuke's brow furrows, looking down at his shoes as he listens to Koenma talk about the crystal's time controlling abilities. The grave tone in the ruler's voice is enough to cause a chill to run up the spines of any who might be listening. This really is a serious situation. Who knows if this Youkai could unlock the power? Who knows if she could be one of those who can travel through time? She could create so much havoc for the present day!

The feeling as though he's being watched begins to overwhelm the Spirit Detective, and he can feel a pair of eyes burning into the top of his head. As Koenma concludes his explanation, a voice rings out confidently. Yusuke's head snaps up violently to look toward the door. A boy around his age had been leaning against the doorframe the entire time; though he has just straightened himself up and is walking further into the room with slow, cool confident steps.

"It seems to me that this Youkai you're after either wants to use it for her own purposes or get a goodly price for it!"

The toddler nods his head once in agreement toward the boy. The newcomer has a tall, strong build, standing with pride, an air of dignity hanging about him. The kid's mocha brown hair is cut short in the back and he has long bangs that drape over his face and into his pretty, dark lilac colored eyes. He wears a white tan T-shirt with a howling gray wolf on the front and loose fitting pants that would not hinder any of his movements, and running sneakers adorn his feet. Hanging from his belt is a katana scabbard, his one hand resting on the hilt all the time, never leaving it. The hilt is bound tightly with leather to make it easier on the boy's hands and there's a lavender colored jewel set atop the hilt. As Yusuke is looking this strange kid over, Koenma is introducing him. The Spirit Detective isn't too happy about some of the things he's told.

"This is Benkai Yakuta. He's a secret Bounty Hunter, young but very good at his trade. He's also a part time Spirit Detective, you might say, for the moment. I've asked of his services and he'll be helping you on this case. I have confidence in you, but this Hoshi is a cold-blooded killer and very good at her own trade. And I thought that since he was experienced in tracking and killing all sorts of beings, that he would be a helpful ally."

Benkai has a cocky look on his face when Yusuke shows his shock and anger at the news. He thinks to himself, finding this quite humorous. ~'Yes, Yusuke! You're gonna have to work with me and you're gonna have to get along with me because your boss says so!'~ The Spirit Detective, standing between the ruler of Reikai and the Bounty Hunter, was glaring icy daggers at Ben, and Benkai doesn't even think twice about returning the "favor". Suddenly the young Bounty Hunter turns, hand still on his hilt as he walks toward the door.

"I'll start on the job immediately, Lord Koenma! I trust you won't be disappointed!"

***

Darkness hangs thick over the Makai, the black clouds above blocking out the sun, not a ray of light shining through. Forked lightning lights up the darkened sky, the air heavy with the smell of the rain that won't pour down. A crack of thunder reverberates through the stillness of the land, then a roll of thunder much like the sound of a boulder crashing headlong down a mountainside. A brisk, cold wind, uncommon for a normal hot summer day, sends chills down the spines of the Makai inhabitants. Evil hangs over the realm, lurking around every corner, every tree, every rock! It's everywhere! None dwelling upon the soil of the demons can escape it! It holds all inhabitants in an iron claw, refusing to release its captives, devouring their souls and leaving them filled with hatred, anger, greed, and the lust for spilt blood and battle! It's either kill or be killed! But that's the way most of them like it. The corrupted souls take extreme delight and pleasure in killing and destroying everything weaker than them, everything that hasn't had time to become as strong and as mighty as them!

Another clap of thunder booms across the sky and a flash of forked lightning tears through it, illuminating the atmosphere and revealing a grim, ominous looking castle. The dark walls stand high and threatening as a sinister foe to all across the barren land of Makai. With walls and gates unbreakable, the fortress of the wicked stands as a symbol and a challenge. 'Come! Try and defeat me! Come and try to beat me! And die trying!' It has stood for centuries, none able to over throw the ruler.

Deep within the castle's walls, down the many corridors and through the many halls and rooms, is the very heart of the building. The main hall is the largest room, four double doors on each wall, blood red in color and with gold corners and hinges tarnished with age. Hanging from the walls are tapestries depicting bloody massacres and gory battles of demons and humans alike. The high ceiling holds the tattered banners of each army defeated on the bloodstained grounds around the castle, and sitting in the exact middle of the room on a raised stone platform sits a throne of polished marble, faded royal purple and red velvet cushioning the seat, back, and arm rests. The only light provided to elucidate the darkened shadows of the room, to contrast the dark phantoms of the night, was a chandelier above the throne. The fire dances over the melted wax, piercing and branding the iniquity of the evil.

Wicked laughter cuts the silence and stillness of the air in half and the smell of smoke fills the room. As if by some strange magic a shadowy phantom appears upon the throne, smoke wreathed about him. Two red eyes glow within the smoke of his body. In one of its shadowed hands is a candle with the fire burning brighter than those above. The phantom spectre stands then from the sitting position on the large, cushioned throne, starting toward one wall. Then there appears a white pedestal that could not be seen without the aid of the bright candle. It was creased up the pillar of it and the flat top's edges curl under. Then the most peculiar thing is seen. Hanging in the air within a blue light is a crystal, a beautiful blue crystal with symbols on the two main faces. The shadowed spectre slowly walks around the room, more pedestals appearing in the light of the candle, eleven crystals. A gruff voice echoes and bounces off the stone of the walls and floor as the shadow speaks the name of each crystal he passes.

"Tear of Tempest's Rage! Tear of Glitter's Purity! Tear of Phantom's Hate! Tear of Hope's Mercy! Tear of Sheol's Judgment! Tear of Heart's Courage! Tear of Charm's Illusion! Tear of Flame's Fear! Tear of Aqua's Serenity! Tear of Bleak's Sorrow! Tear of Rose's Love! Tear of Celestial's Illumination! Incense's Joy!"

The spectre's voice grows louder with each name he says until he's actually yelling. The hall is filled with his voice, striking fear into the hearts and minds of servants walking by the doors. Then the voice stops as the dark figure comes to an empty pedestal and the red eyes flash brighter than before with anger. With a sweep of his hand the stand crashes to the cold stone floor. One crystal was still missing from the others! One more to bring the fourteen Crystalline Angel Tears together! The Tear of Time's Fire is all that he needs! Without righting the base for the last crystal, the shadow glides back to his throne, casting his source of light to the side with a clatter before sitting down and closing his red eyes.

Smoke slowly swirls around the dark being's body and when it clears there is a young man sitting there instead of a shadow. His hair is midnight black and he wears all black robes, nothing light in color. He opens his eyes and they still glow red like fire and swirl like liquid blood with anger and rage. His last minion had failed in his attempt to steal his "Tear" and it irked him that this should have happened. If the failure had survived and returned, his death would have been slow and painful. The demon would have paid for his mistakes and failure ten-fold more than what death gave him. But it didn't surprise him too much that it was Hoshi's doing. This Fyre Fox had been a problem in the past, a big problem. None of his own demon fighters would be enough to battle the female Youkai and win. They were all dowdy fools, unable to accomplish anything in a one on one fight. So he'd hire a professional, one used to much killing and battle, and a good thief as well. The shape-shifting spectre believes he has found the right one, and now he waits for his arrival.

The voice of an unknown female life form echoes off the rock of the room, a childish tinkle to it. The sounds recoiling off the stone of the room causes the voice to sound out around him. And it was a strange way this one talked. It startled him some to hear the childish form of the feminine voice, but it surprised him even more to see two golden eyes peering at him through the shadows as the owner speaks, glowing and pulsing with each breath of the female. But the blood and fire of his eyes hide his surprise and all emotion from his placid features.

"Meow! Master of the Castle wants his crystal yarn ball? Meow! You know it costs you the catnip and meow mix!"

There's a soft, wicked giggle that follows after the words. The speaker could see the man's brow furrow with confusion. It seemed he hadn't expected a female Youkai! This she found funny, very humorous. Someone had forgotten to mention this to him, but the absent information was no matter. She waits patiently within the dark for an answer, some sort of response.

"I assume you are the Youkai I was told could help me with my little problem, hai? Step into the light here."

The faint light from the candles high above drive exotic patterns across the Demon Warlord's face. As requested the female slowly slips into the dim light, basically walking in her crouch and then returning to the same position she had kept without the deep shadow. Shoki looks the Youkai over as she sits there, a slight glare in her cold yellow eyes. Her long black hair falls to the ground in her position; two small black cat ears perched atop her head and a slender, flexible tail to match the ears. The sleeves of her black kimono brush the ground as she shifts her weight to one leg. Her eyes never leave the demon sitting upon his throne, and nor would she while in his presence.

"Meow! Hai! Akika is whom you sent for! And so the Kitty is here! Does the Master of the Castle want his precious yarn ball, or not? Meow?"

Her black ears twitch madly as she waits for an answer, the pale palms of her hands pressing against the chill stones of the floor, sending small shocks through her fingertips and up her arms. But the answer doesn't ring through her ears as she had expected, it rings through her eyes and then into her mind as he nods and stares hard into her golden eyes with his own fierce, glowing red ones. ~'You'll be paid when you deliver, Akika! Now go!'~ A smirk spreads across his face, pulling at the corners of his lips. For the first time the Female Cat Youkai stands up, brushing her bangs from her face in a fluent movement.

"Meow! Assurance is part of my trade. This kitty will have what you want! No worries for you! The mouse pest will be exterminated and your toy removed from her soiled tiny paws! Meow!"

Then the Youkai disappears into the shadows without a trace or sound, not even the noise of footsteps or the gentle closing of a door. Like smoke upon the wind she was gone without a hint that she was there besides the smell of pine and dry leaves. With elbow on velvet, Shoki rests his forehead in the palm of his hand wearily. He would have that crystal even if he has to take care of the problem himself!

The candles flicker in the sconces above, the supply of wick and wax growing thin. With one last spark of despair each flame goes out, leaving the room in complete darkness. Only the sound of the demon's breathing can echo across the room now, and bit by bit the breathing slows and the Lord of the Castle is asleep, weary from the day's activities and dreaming up wicked plots and plans for when the twelve crystals finally come together after hundreds times hundreds of years!

***

Kohana Ashigato sleeps in a peaceful state, unaware of the three setting out to destroy Hoshi and take back what she worked hard to steal. Three set out not knowing what or who they are looking for, two paired unwillingly and one working with only herself, and herself alone. It's kill or be killed, steal or have your treasure stolen. Tensions are high, stakes are raised, and death seems the only option.

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Author's Ending Notes: Okay! There's the second chapter for you! Sorry if it may have bored you a bit, but I needed to introduce the characters. If you look back on the first chapter, I'm changing a few things besides Koenma's name. I changed Spirit World to Reikai since I used the names Ningenkai and Makai. I don't remember what Spirit Detective is, so if anyone knows what it is, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me now! I'm sorry if I don't get the personalities of the characters, or the way they speak 100% accurate. I'm not the creator, so getting such good ratings on that part would make me very lucky. And I don't feel like this one has run together as nicely as the last one. Maybe later on I'll be able to look at it again and fix it up, but for the moment it's staying as it is. (