Kokoro No Kaitou : Once Lost, Now Found
~*~
Kurama sighed and put his homework away. He was probably the smartest kid in his school, but he still found homework difficult. But then again, he rarely had any free time anymore. Between Reikai Tantei missions and part-time jobs, school just seemed to be the least of his worries.
"Shuichi!"
"Coming!" He replied, leaving his room and walking down the stairs to see what his mother wanted.
He smiled. His ningen mother…she had taught him so much. He had wanted to return to Makai when he had enough power, but he couldn't bear to leave her.
"Yes, mother?" He asked.
She smiled at him. "Shuichi, dear, your little friend is at the door."
Kurama glanced at the clock. It was just past ten…who would come here this late at night?
"Which friend?"
Shiori smiled again. "The blue-haired girl."
Botan? Why would she be here?
He thanked his mother and she went into the kitchen. He went to the door, and saw that Botan was standing there, in the midst of the pouring rain.
"Botan-san! Come in, you're getting soaked!" He said, opening the door for her to enter.
She did, and pulled back the hood of her yellow rain coat. "Arigato, Kurama-kun."
He leaned over and asked in a low voice that his mother would not be able to hear, "Botan-san, is it a mission?"
She nodded. "Hai. One that requires your immediate attention."
"And what is it?" He asked. He was thankful that it wasn't on a school night…
"I can't explain it here. We'll need to get to Koenma's office, pronto." She said. "I'll take you."
He nodded, and motioned for her to stay there. He walked over to the kitchen, and poked his head in.
"Mother, I'm going to Yusuke's house. He needs some help with his project." Kurama said. He felt terrible for lying to her, but sometimes it just had to be done.
"That's fine, Shuichi. When do you expect to be back?" She asked.
"I'm not sure. It's really a very large project. I may even have to stay over there for the week." He said.
"Make sure to call though." She said. "Your movers will be here in two days. I want you to be here when they pick up your things."
He nodded. "I should be back by then, but if I'm not, then I'd like you to go ahead and take care of it for me. Is that alright with you?"
"Of course, of course!"
"Bye then!"
"Have fun!"
He went back out to where Botan was waiting patiently.
"I'm ready to go, Botan-san." He said, pulling on his own forest green raincoat over his clothes.
They walked out the door, and they went to Reikai.
~*~
When Botan and Kurama arrived at Koenma's office, the entire Reikai Tantei were already assembled there. The Reikai Tantei…Urameshi Yusuke, Kuwabara Kazuma, and Jaganshi Hiei. They were worked for Reikai to help defend the human world from various supernatural forces. They were all his friends.
Kurama smiled at them in greeting, and they all returned the gesture - that is, with the exception of Hiei.
"So, we're all here." Koenma said.
"What do you want that's important enough to tear me away from my favorite show?" Yusuke asked.
"Well, for starters, there's been an outbreak of these in Makai." The pint-sized Reikai prince said. He pressed a button on his remote control, and the screen behind them flickered to life.
The four turned to see what was being displayed. A small, almost-clear bug was on the screen. It had a faint reddish tint to it, and beady black eyes. It almost looked like a mosquito.
"What's that?" Kuwabara asked. "It looks icky."
"That would be a Makai insect. It doesn't really have an official name, because its such a rare species." Koenma explained. "The details are in this report. Read it on the way to the Shinobi village. We've asked for their assistance in rounding up these pests."
He shoved the thick packet into Kurama's hands, and Botan ushered them into the portal.
~*~
Kurama flipped through the papers as they walked. They were currently in Makai, and it was winter there. There was a thick layer of snow on the ground, and it crunched under the feet of the four boys and deity. None of them were dressed for the weather - it was late spring in Ningenkai. All except for Hiei were shivering - the koorime was used to the biting cold.
"It says here that these insects sink into your flesh and settle down in your stomach. Then, they absorb all of the moisture out of your body, leaving you a pile of dust." He read aloud.
"Great. The best bug ever." Yusuke grumbled sarcastically.
"Look!" Botan exclaimed, running forward slightly. "There's the village!"
The Shinobi village was built on top of one of three steep hills, and it looked like a difficult climb to reach it. It would be a great defensive spot, however. No one could approach the place without being seen by one of the many guard posts that bordered the village.
Kurama kept reading from the packet, while the other took in the surroundings.
"Lady! Lady, look out!" Cried a voice.
They all turned to one of the other hills, and saw a person on a snowboard flying towards them. Or to be more exact, towards Kurama.
She slammed into him, and they both went tumbling back into the snow.
She groaned, and sat up, getting off of him.
"Daijobu ka, miss?" She asked.
Kurama sat up as well, and went completely rigid. Snow had gotten inside his shirt and a little in his pants.
"Oops!" The girl said. "You're not a lady."
Kurama stood, and tried to brush the snow off of himself. "No, I'm not."
She pulled off her goggles that she had been wearing, revealing a pair of beautiful sea-green eyes. Kurama had to do a double take at her.
"Naomi-chaaaaaaan!" A voice called.
The rest of the Tantei turned to see another girl running down the hill.
The girl called Naomi turned to face her. "I'm fine, Midori-chan!" She called back.
The second girl came to a stop beside the first. She was pretty, with wavy hair that fell to her waist, going from blonde to pink to orange and finally red at the tips. She also had pupiless red eyes.
"M-Midori?!" Kurama exclaimed.
She turned and gave him an odd look. "Do I know you?"
"Yeah, Kurama, do you know her? 'Cause I'd like you to introduce us." Yusuke said, not taking his eyes off of the red-eyed girl.
"Kurama?!" Midori exclaimed.
Kurama nodded. "Hai."
"What? But, you were dead…and the shooting and the poking and the - hell, I saw your bloody body! You were waaaaaay dead!" Midori exclaimed. "But now you're - poof! - alive again!"
"Onna, you haven't changed a bit." Hiei snorted.
"Hi-kun!" She exclaimed. "And you're here too?!"
"Look, ladies, we really need to see Touya, Jin, Shishiwakamaru and Chuu. And Suzuka, if he's here." Yusuke said.
"Are you guys the Spirit Detectives that Koenma told us about?" Naomi asked.
"You bet!" Kuwabara said. "Oh, and I'm Kuwabara Kazuma, the leader." He smoothed back his hair, and Naomi snorted.
"I don't date pigs."
Yusuke glared. "And besides, what about Yukina?"
Kuwabara blinked. "Yukina! Oh, how could I have forgotten about her? Never mind!"
Midori blinked. "Hi-kun, you-"
He glared, and said telepathically, Don't say a word.
"Okay." She said slowly. "Well, let's get back to the village before the heavy snow starts."
"Right. We'll go to Chuu-kun's house." Naomi said.
"Wait, Naomi!" Midori exclaimed.
"What?"
"I want you to go get your mom." Midori said.
"My mom? Are you nuts? She's meditating - and we all know how cranky she gets when you interrupt her meditating." Naomi said.
"Naomi-chan, trust me on this. She'll be happy." Midori said. "Tell her that I was the one that told you to interrupt her, if you want."
"Okay." Naomi sighed. "I'll meet you at Chuu's."
The girl started climbing up the hill, and Midori smiled at the Tantei.
"Right. Let's get to Chuu's."
~*~
Author's Notes: That's the first chapter. It's kind of short, but that's okay. Next chapter will be better. Oh, and I'm not sure when I'll next be able to update. I need to take some time to plan out what's going to happen later on in the story.
Thanks to those who reviewed!
miyako14 : Thanks for the review! Yes, the ending was pretty sad. *sniffles*
Youko : My friend is an avid Jin fan, so I had to have him be the one that she saw. LOL.
Explosion : Yeah. It's supposed to be a cliffie.
Sun Priestess : I read your story! And like I said, the ending of the last story was supposed to be sad. Sorry! Oh, by the way, I love your pen name. ^___^
Suzaku no miko : Thanks!!
Naoko-san : I'm a bit of a perfectionist too, and I was just upset that there was something wrong with my story. So I'm sorry if I came across as being bitchy or mean. T_____T
FieryKitsune : I'll let you know as soon as I post them, then. I'm not sure if I can bring him back, but I'll try.
Shessha's Crazy : ^_____^ I'm glad that you're so enthusiastic about my stories!
Katie E. : They talk about that a little bit soon, so you'll find out how she feels about that. T____T
Kagome0102 : Thanks, I try! ^____^ It probably took me…um, maybe a week, tops? And yes, that would be Jin. ^__^ I love Jin so much, and I had to bring him in!
Review!
~*~
Kurama sighed and put his homework away. He was probably the smartest kid in his school, but he still found homework difficult. But then again, he rarely had any free time anymore. Between Reikai Tantei missions and part-time jobs, school just seemed to be the least of his worries.
"Shuichi!"
"Coming!" He replied, leaving his room and walking down the stairs to see what his mother wanted.
He smiled. His ningen mother…she had taught him so much. He had wanted to return to Makai when he had enough power, but he couldn't bear to leave her.
"Yes, mother?" He asked.
She smiled at him. "Shuichi, dear, your little friend is at the door."
Kurama glanced at the clock. It was just past ten…who would come here this late at night?
"Which friend?"
Shiori smiled again. "The blue-haired girl."
Botan? Why would she be here?
He thanked his mother and she went into the kitchen. He went to the door, and saw that Botan was standing there, in the midst of the pouring rain.
"Botan-san! Come in, you're getting soaked!" He said, opening the door for her to enter.
She did, and pulled back the hood of her yellow rain coat. "Arigato, Kurama-kun."
He leaned over and asked in a low voice that his mother would not be able to hear, "Botan-san, is it a mission?"
She nodded. "Hai. One that requires your immediate attention."
"And what is it?" He asked. He was thankful that it wasn't on a school night…
"I can't explain it here. We'll need to get to Koenma's office, pronto." She said. "I'll take you."
He nodded, and motioned for her to stay there. He walked over to the kitchen, and poked his head in.
"Mother, I'm going to Yusuke's house. He needs some help with his project." Kurama said. He felt terrible for lying to her, but sometimes it just had to be done.
"That's fine, Shuichi. When do you expect to be back?" She asked.
"I'm not sure. It's really a very large project. I may even have to stay over there for the week." He said.
"Make sure to call though." She said. "Your movers will be here in two days. I want you to be here when they pick up your things."
He nodded. "I should be back by then, but if I'm not, then I'd like you to go ahead and take care of it for me. Is that alright with you?"
"Of course, of course!"
"Bye then!"
"Have fun!"
He went back out to where Botan was waiting patiently.
"I'm ready to go, Botan-san." He said, pulling on his own forest green raincoat over his clothes.
They walked out the door, and they went to Reikai.
~*~
When Botan and Kurama arrived at Koenma's office, the entire Reikai Tantei were already assembled there. The Reikai Tantei…Urameshi Yusuke, Kuwabara Kazuma, and Jaganshi Hiei. They were worked for Reikai to help defend the human world from various supernatural forces. They were all his friends.
Kurama smiled at them in greeting, and they all returned the gesture - that is, with the exception of Hiei.
"So, we're all here." Koenma said.
"What do you want that's important enough to tear me away from my favorite show?" Yusuke asked.
"Well, for starters, there's been an outbreak of these in Makai." The pint-sized Reikai prince said. He pressed a button on his remote control, and the screen behind them flickered to life.
The four turned to see what was being displayed. A small, almost-clear bug was on the screen. It had a faint reddish tint to it, and beady black eyes. It almost looked like a mosquito.
"What's that?" Kuwabara asked. "It looks icky."
"That would be a Makai insect. It doesn't really have an official name, because its such a rare species." Koenma explained. "The details are in this report. Read it on the way to the Shinobi village. We've asked for their assistance in rounding up these pests."
He shoved the thick packet into Kurama's hands, and Botan ushered them into the portal.
~*~
Kurama flipped through the papers as they walked. They were currently in Makai, and it was winter there. There was a thick layer of snow on the ground, and it crunched under the feet of the four boys and deity. None of them were dressed for the weather - it was late spring in Ningenkai. All except for Hiei were shivering - the koorime was used to the biting cold.
"It says here that these insects sink into your flesh and settle down in your stomach. Then, they absorb all of the moisture out of your body, leaving you a pile of dust." He read aloud.
"Great. The best bug ever." Yusuke grumbled sarcastically.
"Look!" Botan exclaimed, running forward slightly. "There's the village!"
The Shinobi village was built on top of one of three steep hills, and it looked like a difficult climb to reach it. It would be a great defensive spot, however. No one could approach the place without being seen by one of the many guard posts that bordered the village.
Kurama kept reading from the packet, while the other took in the surroundings.
"Lady! Lady, look out!" Cried a voice.
They all turned to one of the other hills, and saw a person on a snowboard flying towards them. Or to be more exact, towards Kurama.
She slammed into him, and they both went tumbling back into the snow.
She groaned, and sat up, getting off of him.
"Daijobu ka, miss?" She asked.
Kurama sat up as well, and went completely rigid. Snow had gotten inside his shirt and a little in his pants.
"Oops!" The girl said. "You're not a lady."
Kurama stood, and tried to brush the snow off of himself. "No, I'm not."
She pulled off her goggles that she had been wearing, revealing a pair of beautiful sea-green eyes. Kurama had to do a double take at her.
"Naomi-chaaaaaaan!" A voice called.
The rest of the Tantei turned to see another girl running down the hill.
The girl called Naomi turned to face her. "I'm fine, Midori-chan!" She called back.
The second girl came to a stop beside the first. She was pretty, with wavy hair that fell to her waist, going from blonde to pink to orange and finally red at the tips. She also had pupiless red eyes.
"M-Midori?!" Kurama exclaimed.
She turned and gave him an odd look. "Do I know you?"
"Yeah, Kurama, do you know her? 'Cause I'd like you to introduce us." Yusuke said, not taking his eyes off of the red-eyed girl.
"Kurama?!" Midori exclaimed.
Kurama nodded. "Hai."
"What? But, you were dead…and the shooting and the poking and the - hell, I saw your bloody body! You were waaaaaay dead!" Midori exclaimed. "But now you're - poof! - alive again!"
"Onna, you haven't changed a bit." Hiei snorted.
"Hi-kun!" She exclaimed. "And you're here too?!"
"Look, ladies, we really need to see Touya, Jin, Shishiwakamaru and Chuu. And Suzuka, if he's here." Yusuke said.
"Are you guys the Spirit Detectives that Koenma told us about?" Naomi asked.
"You bet!" Kuwabara said. "Oh, and I'm Kuwabara Kazuma, the leader." He smoothed back his hair, and Naomi snorted.
"I don't date pigs."
Yusuke glared. "And besides, what about Yukina?"
Kuwabara blinked. "Yukina! Oh, how could I have forgotten about her? Never mind!"
Midori blinked. "Hi-kun, you-"
He glared, and said telepathically, Don't say a word.
"Okay." She said slowly. "Well, let's get back to the village before the heavy snow starts."
"Right. We'll go to Chuu-kun's house." Naomi said.
"Wait, Naomi!" Midori exclaimed.
"What?"
"I want you to go get your mom." Midori said.
"My mom? Are you nuts? She's meditating - and we all know how cranky she gets when you interrupt her meditating." Naomi said.
"Naomi-chan, trust me on this. She'll be happy." Midori said. "Tell her that I was the one that told you to interrupt her, if you want."
"Okay." Naomi sighed. "I'll meet you at Chuu's."
The girl started climbing up the hill, and Midori smiled at the Tantei.
"Right. Let's get to Chuu's."
~*~
Author's Notes: That's the first chapter. It's kind of short, but that's okay. Next chapter will be better. Oh, and I'm not sure when I'll next be able to update. I need to take some time to plan out what's going to happen later on in the story.
Thanks to those who reviewed!
miyako14 : Thanks for the review! Yes, the ending was pretty sad. *sniffles*
Youko : My friend is an avid Jin fan, so I had to have him be the one that she saw. LOL.
Explosion : Yeah. It's supposed to be a cliffie.
Sun Priestess : I read your story! And like I said, the ending of the last story was supposed to be sad. Sorry! Oh, by the way, I love your pen name. ^___^
Suzaku no miko : Thanks!!
Naoko-san : I'm a bit of a perfectionist too, and I was just upset that there was something wrong with my story. So I'm sorry if I came across as being bitchy or mean. T_____T
FieryKitsune : I'll let you know as soon as I post them, then. I'm not sure if I can bring him back, but I'll try.
Shessha's Crazy : ^_____^ I'm glad that you're so enthusiastic about my stories!
Katie E. : They talk about that a little bit soon, so you'll find out how she feels about that. T____T
Kagome0102 : Thanks, I try! ^____^ It probably took me…um, maybe a week, tops? And yes, that would be Jin. ^__^ I love Jin so much, and I had to bring him in!
Review!