AN: Hey everyone! I know that not a lot happened in the first chapter, but I promise there's more to come. I'm still not sure on what's going to happen. I just have a vague idea, but I'll take a leap of faith and keep going. But before I start, I would like to give a big thanks to all the YuYu Hakusho Authors out there! You guys inspired me to start writing my own fics.

Disclaimer: ::sigh:: No...I don't own. YuYu Hakusho. I only own my little demon person my plot. Oh well...

~~~~~Step Lightly...~~~~~

~~~Kurama's POV~~~

I stepped cautiously by the dense undergrowth, making sure not to step on a brittle stick or deadened leaves. Light shone softly through the treetops, illuminating the brilliant summer flowers that had begun blossoming in the moderate weather. Most were not human flowers, but demon ones instead. Their bright colors brought back faint memories of my past life, none of which I cared to dwell on.

I kept to the beaten path. To either side, the foliage was too dense to wade through. Vice grew thickly by the tree roots, waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander too close, to become ensnared in it's deadly grasp. I needn't fear the plants though, I could control them easy enough. Yet my instincts told me not to stray. After treading the path for quite some time, I came to a clearing. A raven flew overhead as I made my way to a small tree. This was the place, I was sure of it...

~~~Yusuke's POV~~~

Me and Kuwabara had been running for a while now. Would have been a better idea to just catch a bus...Then I realized that we were heading to the countryside not far from town.

"Hey Urameshi, I think that energy's coming from Genkai's temple!" I looked over and nodded.

We sped up, now running our fastest. It wasn't long until we reached the old temple of my Master. I looked at the trees, seeing that the wards were still in their places. Strange...If a demon had snuck into the temple, why wouldn't Genkai notice?

Coincidentally, Genkai stepped out at that very moment. She looked over at me and Kuwabara as we stopped to catch our breath. "So you made it. Kurama headed into the forest quite some while ago. I sensed a demon trespassing, but he didn't seem to be a threat. I figured I'd let the slackers get some work done rather than waste my time..." She gave us a dull look and turned to go back inside.

"Thanks, Grandma. Just the boost of confidence I needed..." I let my words trail off as I felt a surge of Spirit Energy not far off. I recognized it as Kurama's. Something had to be wrong for him to expend that much energy. "Come on!"

~~~Kurama's POV~~~

"Rose Whiplash!" I cried as my whip sheared through the demon's flesh, spattering fresh blood on the grass. A second one lunged at me, far too slow to evade the speed and precision of my technique. With a flick of my wrist, I focused my attack on this new threat. I watched as a bloody arm dropped to the ground with dull thud, the creature crying out in pain at its lost appendage. I spared it the agony of fighting and finished it off.

I returned my whip to it's former state and was about to tuck the red rose safely away when a hand slipped over my mouth. I immediately felt dizzy, my vision blurring until I passed out.

~~~Kuwabara's POV~~~

I was having a heck of time keeping up with Urameshi. He had gotten way faster after his last training session with Genkai. I was about to yell at him to slow down when I felt Kurama's Spirit Energy drop.

"What the hell...Kurama must be in trouble." Urameshi said as he found the energy to run even faster. "Can't you run any faster?!?" He yelled out at me.

"Damn it, Urameshi! This is as fast as I can go!" When I stopped talking we ran full into the light. I blinked, trying to focus on the blurry image up ahead. When I could finally see, I could just make out Kurama. But then I saw the bonds that gripped him. Dark green vines held him tightly to a tree. His head drooped, but I could see his chest just barely moving.

"Kurama!" Yusuke started to run to him, stopping as a shadowy figure walked out from behind the tree. "What the hell did you do to Kurama?!?"

The demon looked slowly up at the two of us. I could feel his cold eyes staring at me. Gave me the shivers...Then he spoke in soft tone.

"He's fine. You don't need to worry..." An uneasy silence filled the air. Urameshi was tense; I could feel his Spirit Energy raging at the site of our unconscious friend.

"You'd better hope he's all right, 'cause if he isn't, I'm gonna tear your frickin' head off!"

I watched the guy as Urameshi talked. He slowly pulled away his hood and cloak, revealing his identity. He was a kid, probably only twelve years old. His hair was blondish brown, just down to his chin in length. He was fairly short but slender. His eyes were wide and round and a warm amber color. His clothes looked normal enough and his appearance seemed nothing like the demons we had fought before.

He spoke again, this time with a brighter tone. "I'm sorry I had to do this. I wanted to ensure my own safety, as well as get your direct and undivided attention. My name is Shiri. I have come bearing a message from the Demon World." He paused, obviously sensing the fury building in Urameshi. "I will keep this short, Spirit Detectives. You see, there is a wild group of demons planning to cause quite a disturbance in my family's territory and I was hoping to enlist your help. I did not make the request to Lord Koenma as he would have said this is out of your jurisdiction. So I ask, will you accept the job of protecting the lands of the Crimson Waters?"

I had finally caught my breath as I felt Yusuke's Spirit Energy settle. "What's in it for us?" He said.

"If you complete your mission successfully, I assure you, the rewards will be great. We have an extraordinary variety of goods that may be to your likings. Rare potions and artifacts, weapons, armor..." Shiri's eyes lit up as he began describing some of the items. "Yes...the Crimson Dragon Shear is our most excellent light weight short sword. Its well balanced blade and intricate design is quite popular among the hunters and huntresses...Ah! How should I forget our newest sword? It hasn't even a name yet, but is built from the scales of a Dracnid and the tail of an Artherish. It's very heavy for it's size, but is very manageable. Twice the cut of an axe in a third the size!"

You could definitely say the kid had a passion...A bit of movement caught my eyes as well as the familiar presence of Kurama's energy. He stirred slightly, and the vines around him slid away. He fell to the ground looking groggy, then stood up. I was surprised when he just stood listening to the boy finish about another of his people's arms.

"I assume we will be assisting in the quest, will we not?" He questioned Yusuke.

"Mine as well. It's not like Koenma's got our schedule booked." He huffed and looked back at Shiri who was now smiling.

"This is terrific news! You will be ready by tomorrow?" He clasped his hands, obviously holding back his excitement.

"I don't have anything to do. I'll be ready first thing in the mornin'." I said.

"Same here. Not like Atsuko would notice I'm missin' anyways..." He turned to Kurama. "What about you? You gonna have to skip out?"

"Of course not, Yusuke. My mother is on a business trip and won't be back for a while. It would make little difference if I were to be absent."

"Great. So it's settled. First thing tomorrow we head off to Makai to kick some demon ass. Shiri." He turned to the boy, "You want us to meet back here?"

"That would be excellent! Well, if Master Genkai would permit it." He looked off to the shrine.

"Not a problem The old lady won't care if I say we are. So how's seven sound?"

"Four a.m. That is when you must be here. Absolutely no later."

"Say WHAT?!?" Me and Urameshi said in unison.

"You humans complain about the stupidest things, you know that?" I caught a blur that was Hiei rushing past me. He stood in the middle of our group. "So you're Shiri." he stated. "Hn. You know quite a bit about weapons for only being a child. I guess it would be expected coming from a town full of warmongers. Can't keep out of a fight, can you? Then you hire someone to come do your dirty work." Hiei's eyes looked coldly at Shiri.

"We're proud of who we are. Nothing will change that." There was a long silence before Hiei spoke again.

"Arrogant little bastard." With that, Hiei took off into the forest. Kurama also began to walk away, not bothering to look in our direction.

So this was it. Our first real mission since the Dark Tournament. It was about time we got to see some action! "All right Urameshi! We got ourselves a mission!" I looked back to Shiri. As he walked, his footsteps made no sound. It was as if someone had hit the mute button. Then his figure faded and was gone...

"Step lightly on the shores of Crimson Water. Listen, O listen carefully. For the Gods are trembling at the water's edge, trembling at the Warer's feet. Weepin' down those tears of blood, flowing to the Crimson sea. Oh cry sweet child, 'cause your gonna die. By the hands of your forefathers, shed your blood for your forefathers."