~High Voltage~
. . .
Chapter Four: Meet The Shadow
. . .

Yusuke clenched his fists and spread his feet shoulder-length apart. "All right Shadow, come on out!"

"Is that what they call me?" This time the Shadow didn't use telepathy.

"He's here," Kuwabara said.

"What a brilliant observation," the Shadow commented, still hidden in the trees. They couldn't figure out where the voice was coming from. "But you're not entirely correct..." Suddenly a black figure dropped from one of the limbs of the tree in front of them. It landed on its two feet, one hand planted on the ground, and slowly rose. Even in the daylight, the Shadow remained a shadow--dressed completely in black. The black cloak covered nearly all of its face, and the rest was hidden in the shadow of the hood.

Kuwabara suddenly laughed out loud. "Hey everybody, that guy is just a kid!" He pointed to the Shadow. "Look, he's as short as Hiei!"

"Wrong again, you brainless wexa," the Shadow spat back. Its voice was cold and bitter. With one quick motion, the Shadow lifted one hand and threw off the black cloak.

"Whoa!" Kuwabara was startled by the face beneath the cloak. "Shadow is--he's--he's a girl!"

The Shadow turned to face them. "It would be in your best interest to watch what you call me--I just might make your death even more painful."

Indeed, the Shadow was definitely female--there was no mistaking that fact. She stood there so confidently, knowing that she could beat them. Her thin hair was dark, with a tint of red, and came down to her bare shoulders. Her eyes were dark, cold and hard. Her attire told them that she was neither self-conscious nor fashion conscious; her outfit was black, the top was strapless and exposed her well-toned midriff. It looked as though the bottom of the shirt had been ripped off, probably to be used as a make-shift bandage at one time. Her pants were baggy, loose, but dangerously low. A thick belt held them in place at her hips. On her feet, she wore black boots, military style, that came up to just below her knees. As she stood watching them, they noticed the long scar on her neck; it started just below her right ear and ended just above her collar bone.

"So," she began, "this is the famous Spirit Detective, Yusuke Urameshi." She gave them an malicious grin, and Kuwabara shuddered involuntarily. "It's about time you showed up. Such a shame to have to kill another one of Koenma's errand boys."

"You know, you criminals are all the same," Yusuke said. "You stand there and brag about how great you are, but in the end it's always the same."

"I don't believe that stating a fact can be classified as bragging, Spirit Detective," the Shadow retorted without raising her voice. "I can understand your impatience, though I don't know why you've come here. It's not for a fight; I can tell. So what is it you want from me?" She stared at him with those cold eyes, as if looking through him.

"We're here to get you to come with us," Yusuke answered.

The Shadow smirked, amused. "Just what makes you think I would go along with this?"

"I thought you might say that. That's why we're prepared to fight you." Yusuke began to gather his spirit energy.

"This is a waste of time," she glared at them. "You and your friends--Kurama, Kuwabara, Hiei," her gaze shifted to each individual as she said their names. "--you can fight me all day if you want but I won't be agreeing to go anywhere with you. If you want me to go with you, then you'll have to kill me first."

"If that's the way you want it, then it can be arranged," Hiei shot back, narrowing his eyes at her.

The Shadow fixed her dark eyes on the fire demon. "Well, if you honestly think you have what it takes to defeat me, then go right ahead and try. But I won't show you any mercy when you're begging for it."

"Don't think for one second that I'm going to be a push-over. Underestimating me will be the last mistake you ever make." Hiei stepped forward, ready to fight.

. . .

Next chapter: Hiei vs The Shadow

AN: Yeah, this is getting good! I love Hiei fights, they're always so good. I'm afraid I may not do him justice in this next chapter, though, but I'll give it my best shot.