Keiko (Kay-Ko) frowned. Where had Yusuke (yuse-kay) run off to? He probably had a meeting with Botan. Maybe they had another case...Keiko shuddered, the last couple of cases were bad enough. The Makai tunnel trying to form on the earth, and it did, to a point. And before that, there was Toguro and the Dark tournament.

Keiko sighed. There were too many chances for Yusuke to get killed.

88888888

Vignette.

"Where the heck did she go?!" a certain blue young man shouted to the world.

"She's probably out destroying bandits or stealing money, or something like that." Gourry shrugged.

"She was kidnapped by the 'Yokai' or whatever Botan called them." Zel groused.

"Who's Botan?" Sylphiel questioned.

"I'll explain later."

999999999

"Keiko! Keiko!! Hey, Keiko! Ya in there? I need your help! Botan's got me on another case. She says this one is going to be so hard that we'll need more help. So she got some chick named Lina, but she's dead and we don't know what to do." Yusuke was standing outside of Keiko's house, trying to explain to her before she got worked up over something that hadn't happened.

Keiko grumbled. What did he want now? She was trying to do her homework, something Yusuke had probably never done before. Ever. Anyway, she's trying to do her homework, but he keeps yelling stuff about another case, and she quit listening. She couldn't, however, block out a few words, which happened to be 'chick' and 'dead.'

Well, she's not going to get any homework done anytime soon!

Yusuke was starting to get impatient, not that he is ever PATIENT. Just that he was getting more IMpatient. Following? Yay! (Sorry, people! You'll have to forgive me. I'm listening to some upbeat country music, and it's rubbing off on me.) Anyway, he was getting impatient because Keiko still hadn't come out of the building and he was running out of things to say.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and out walked Keiko in her blue uniform. "So who got hurt because of you this time?" She yelled. Apparently she was still mad about him leaving the school. He was hoping she'd forget.

"It's not MY fault! The one who found her was Hiei!" He retorted

"And THAT'S supposed to ease my fears? Anytime I'm around Hiei, I wonder if he's about to bite my head off! He's a demon too, I don't know why you guys trust him..."

"That doesn't matter right now. I need you to help me with Lina."

"Who's that?" Keiko asked, her anger deflating as she saw the girl.

"I don't know!"

"What do you mean, 'you don't know?'" Keiko shouted, angry again. Yusuke had come up to the door and ignored the question. He looked at her with sad eyes, and Keiko immediately stopped shouting at him.

"So what really happened?"

"I told you before, I don't know." Yusuke shook his head. Keiko really needed to learn how to listen. Kind of reminded him of a girl he met once, Akane, he thought was the name.

He shook his head. That had nothing to do with this.

"I'm waiting for Botan to give me the story, but she went to the River Stix, so it might be a while. And before you ask she went to go find this girls spirit." Yusuke jerked a thumb at Lina, whom he had placed on the floor of the bathroom. "Apparently she's supposed to help us defeat someone. We don't know whom yet. Koenma probably does, and is holding out on us again. Darn that toddler!"

"Well, there's no use whining over it. Come on, help me." Keiko motioned towards the bathtub. "Fill it for me, would you? And I need some clean clothes and soap. Hurry, please!"

"Yes, master, anything you say, master!"

"You've got that right, slave!" The two grinned at each other, exhibiting a bond that only a couple that has gone through much together can have.

88888888

Vignette

"She's not here!" Botan screeched. "She's not anywhere around here! Which means that she's not dead, or that her spirit is too stubborn, strong, or determined to come to Spirit World. And according to this handy little book, it's all three." Botan sighed dramatically. "It's got to be the second one, because both Hiei and I agree that she died immediately." Botan got back onto her oar and flew back to Earth.

"So how am I going to find her?!" she shouted at anyone who could hear, which was basically no one.

At least she thought it was no one.

"Do ya mind hushin' up for a while so I can think? I swear the people around here can be so rude!" Botan straightened up and turned around.

"Lina!"

TBC

Myth: I'm sorry ya'll, if this one didn't come out right. Or very good, things just aren't going to well today! Gomen nasai! Anyway, I'll see you guys in your reviews! Please? And I just wanted to thank the people who reviewed my last chapter! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! I was having a really bad day when I read them! :D bai bai!