Disclaimer: YYH not mine.

As before, a few definitions just in case:

(1) Reiki/youki/youkai: There are humans in the Human World and ... creatures (including deities like Koenma, ferry girls like Botan, ogres like George, souls being processed, etc.) in the Spirit World (Reikai). Their spiritual energy is called reiki. Youkai are demons, but without such a negative connotation – more like mutants in X-Men than Bigfoot or Frankenstein – and their spiritual energy is youki.
(2) Sarayashiki: high school Yusuke and Kuwabara go to...I mean, where they're enrolled (at least, I think that's the name)
(3) Meiou: high school Kurama goes to (again, I think this is the name)
(4) Kokuryuha: Black Dragon Wave, the most powerful of Hiei's Ensatsu Ken (Killing Flame Fists) techniques
(5) Jaganshi: literally, Master of Evil Eye; Hiei is a jaganshi

Chapter 2: Getting Down to Business

Needless to say, the janitor ogre was a bit disgruntled to be called in. Firstly, because it interrupted his break (which he had extended, on his own authority, to watch a soccer game). Secondly, because it was a shame to throw away all that cake, Pocky, and boba milk tea (which would have gone very well with his own soda and chips while watching the game).

So the Spirit Detectives were finally ready to get down to business in Koenma's office – an office tour, five plates of bean cakes, a fainted ogre, 214 broom strokes, a good vacuuming, and a grand total of 138 minutes later than scheduled. Koenma (reverted back to infant form but still maintaining a high position on his desk) felt a strong sense of déjà vu as he looked at the assembled team.

Yusuke and Kuwabara had resumed their perpetual rounds of mutual insults and boasts (and occasional punches) soon after the Bean Cake Crash. Neither seemed about to run out of breath, not even Kuwabara, who had spent a good deal of breath yelling at Hiei before Yusuke arrived. What had sparked that one-sided quarrel? Hiei had not merely arrived, but whooshed into the room and caused Kuwabara to bound up into the air in shock. Typical. (And unknown to Koenma, even before then, Kuwabara's afternoon had not been peaceful, due to that little tussle with his classmate...)

Koenma cleared his throat emphatically. Several times. At last, Yusuke and Kuwabara noticed. They quieted down, though not without a final, hissed bout of name-calling.

Adopting a serious tone, Koenma began, "We've had reports of strange youki readings..." He trailed off as he noticed that Kurama seemed to be the only one paying any attention. Hiei continued to frown at the floor. Yusuke and Kuwabara were concentrating on ignoring each other, backs turned, chins up, and arms crossed. For the sake of his blood pressure, Koenma made a mental note to revert to sending videotapes for briefings(or better yet, CDs! now that he had a computer with a CD burner).

With an effort, Koenma reminded himself that this was how the Spirit Detectives "normally" functioned, and continued. "Yes, strange youki readings in Tokyo, quite near your school actually, Kurama, and yours, Yusuke and Kuwabara." He was satisfied to see that saying the names of the two human boys at least gained a little more of their attention. "There have also been a few near Genkai's temple. I say strange because the readings are just short bursts, and then the youki vanishes entirely. Usually we can track youki – even when it's being suppressed, our equipment yields residual readings. But we couldn't track these, and the preliminary investigations haven't been able to physically locate the youkai at all."

Koenma pushed a button on the desk. Part of the mahogany surface split neatly, and the two sides slid apart to reveal an elaborate array of keyboards.

"Why is this a problem?" Yusuke asked as Koenma typed several commands.

"Exactly because the spots where these bursts of youki show up are centered around your schools." The screen of the computer monitor on the desk switched on, as well as the giant screen on the opposite wall. "I'm pulling up a data file which can show the exact locations and times of these appearances." (That much detail was really unnecessary, but Koenma was extremely proud of his new gadgets.) With a flourish and a satisfied smile, Koenma typed in a last command.

Several seconds passed. Nothing happened.

Nonplussed, Koenma typed the command again. No response. Or rather, no response from the machine. "Hn," came Hiei's customary scoff, while Kurama merely looked concerned. Kuwabara leaned over the keyboards to peer at all the buttons and Yusuke asked "Hey, isn't all this stuff new?"

Koenma gritted his teeth and typed the command again. The computer screen showed only the small question mark in place of the cursor, signifying that the machine could not process the given command, while the wall screen mocked him with its blank field of blue. Koenma had spent the last two days familiarizing himself with this system and he was sure he had typed the correct commands. Making a mental note to ask George the name of the man who sold them all this (so he could send that soul on one of the more miserable paths when it came the Spirit World), Koenma forced an expression of nonchalance, took a file out of one of the desk's many drawers (which, though controllable by computer and remote, were also thankfully manually operable), and continued his explanation.

"The first appearance was Thursday two weeks ago, at 2:56 in the afternoon, outside the gate of Yusuke and Kuwabara's school. It lasted exactly 52 seconds. The second was the same day, 6:44 in the evening outside Kurama's school, lasting about 24 seconds. The third was actually in the mountains near Genkai's temple, the following day at 8:42 am." At this, Hiei's gaze suddenly turned from the wall to Koenma, but he made no sound, and so the little god continued. "The fourth was that day, at Sarayashiki again, at 2:58 pm. The fifth - What?" Koenma abruptly asked Kuwabara, who was staring at Koenma as if the little deity had suddenly turned into an ogre with two heads.

"Ah! Nothing, really! Except...it's not like you to remember so much," Kuwabara replied, a suspicious look on his face.

"My memory is better than you can imagine," Koenma retorted coldly. "I am a god, after all." He shifted the papers in the file. "And besides, I'm merely reading off this old post-it note here."

Yusuke and Kuwabara sweatdropped.

"There's a pattern – the appearances around Sarayashiki are early in the afternoon, while those at Meiou are usually in the evenings – about the time, I understand, when the extracurricular activities wrap up. Those around the temple are at more random times. I could keep on giving you the details," Koenma continued airily, "but I think you get the big picture. Whoever this is, it – or they – are very likely to be after you all, the Spirit Detectives. Why else would they stake out two high schools and a temple, which apparently have nothing to do with each other? And the times of the readings near the schools suggest that they know enough about you to at least guess that Yusuke and Kuwabara aren't the type to be involved in extracurricular activities, while Kurama is."

"Creepy! So we're being stalked or something!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "And if they're staking out the temple..."

Kurama noticed that Hiei was clenching his fist hard. Very hard.

"...they probably know about Master Genkai too!" Kuwabara concluded.

Kurama could nearly see the silent breath that escaped Hiei's lips as the jaganshi's death grip relaxed.

Kurama also knew that Yukina had been staying at Genkai's temple since the Dark Tournament.

"They don't really know that much about us. Most days I don't even go to school," Yusuke boasted.

Koenma sweatdropped. Trust these boys to be proud of never attending class. "That's the good thing right now."

"That we're not going to our classes?" Kuwabara asked, astonished that any figure of authority - even one who looked like a baby - would condone skipping school.

"No – that whoever is causing these youki blips apparently hasn't figured out yet what a couple of delinquents you are," Koenma replied smoothly. It spoke volumes of how well Koenma knew these boys when their failure to take offense did not surprise him at all.

"So what do you want us to do about it?" Yusuke asked.

"Just keep an eye out. Don't use reiki unless you absolutely have to. In fact, try not to do anything conspicuous."

"That's it?" Kuwabara squawked. "You called us all the way here, to the Spirit World, just to tell us to act normal?"

"Being inconspicuous, for some reason, seems especially difficult for the Spirit Detectives," Koenma commented dryly.

"Hn," Hiei approached the desk. "As I expected. A waste of time."

Koenma was tempted to call in George with another plate of bean cakes, just so he could dump them over Hiei's spiky head, but immediately nixed the notion. Even if he had the cakes, he could never act fast enough to match Hiei's speed. Besides, it was not exactly...safe...to antagonize the ill-tempered, swordswipe-happy, Kokuryuha-controlling jaganshi. Hiei had his sword by his side. Hiei was also dangerously close to the polished surface of the desk, so shiny and smooth – and Koenma wanted it to stay that way.

Still, he had to get back at them all somehow.

Well, Yusuke and Kuwabara had wasted so much of his time merely by being late. (Never mind that Koenma rather enjoyed that time, talking up his new stuff to Kurama and watching cartoons.) "I'm not finished yet," he declared. Yusuke and Kuwabara groaned in unison. "I want you all to see something. It's very important; must go right away." Koenma toddled to the door, muttering, "Yes, right away. Can't be delayed; most important..."

At the door, Koenma paused. "Wait here. Botan will come to get you shortly." With a click, he closed the door behind him.

"Hey! Didn't you just say we had to see it right away? What's the big idea?" Yusuke pounded on the door, but he had no better luck opening it this time than he'd had previously, when trying to escape the Great Bean Cake Spill. "Why can't you take us?"

If Koenma heard, he did not pay attention. Certainly, he did not return. It was a good quarter of an hour before Botan popped in and nearly got a black eye for her trouble because Yusuke, impatient and exasperated, had just drawn his fist back for a good punch at (or, more likely, through) the door.

As it was, Yusuke ended up with a few bumps on his head, as Botan took a strong interest in her own self-defense, and conveniently had her oar in hand. Amid loud name-calling, indignant complaints about oar-wielding ferry girls, and mutual doubts of each other's intelligence, the little group set off down the hallway.

Kurama and Hiei, the two quietest of the bunch, walked calmly behind the others.

Calmly, that is, until Kurama remarked casually, "Did I actually hear you agree with Kuwabara a few minutes ago?"

Hiei's eyes popped to the size of saucers and he stopped abruptly in his tracks. It took a moment for him to regain the power of speech, but he managed to grind out a Very Menacing "What?!"

"Oh, just something about Koenma calling us all here, only to waste our time," Kurama shrugged.

"You really should find something better to do, Kurama," Hiei growled, "if you truly think that crossing dimensions only to be told to 'keep an eye out' is not a waste of time."

"Ah, true." Kurama paused, seeming to consider something for a moment. Then he added blithely, "Of course, hanging around a human temple to secretly watch over a beloved sister is a much better way to spend the time." With that, Kurama continued walking, whistling an innocent tune.

After a tremendous effort, Hiei managed to get his fury under control - thereby sparing Kurama a very messy death, and himself another Spirit World warrant on his head - and caught up with the rest of the group in (naturally) no time.

end of Chapter 2

Repeated words? Awkward phrases? Lapses in logic? As always, comments/suggestions/even flames (well, unless they're flames of Hiei's Kokuryuha) very welcome! Like to nitpick? Here's the writer for you! :D

This story's making me nervous, firstly because I'm writing it as I go. (Actually, chapter 1 was written a few years ago as a stand-alone, and I only edited it a bit before posting. I waited this long to actually post fanfiction because I haven't finished/polished any to the level I'd like...argh!) Secondly, because humor's not my forte.

To that point, my fervent thanks to those who reviewed, for their encouragement!