Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho plot or characters
Note to reviewers: Tsume-Hiei luver – a miasma is an infectious or noxious emanation, and in the story the miasmic cloud is simply a physical manifestation of Wishmaster's ability to put people into wish trances. With the Enhancer's help, the whole castle (apart from humans or ogres on Enhancer's side) fell under the spell and the cloud-like miasma siphoned off their energy and sent it swirling above, plumping up the cloud even more.
Eternal Musing – Glad you liked the story so far and I promise to have it finished by New Years.
Cwolf2 – Jorge always cracks me up too!
Carapheonix – What's the request? I tried emailing you but no reply yet!
Crystal Koneko – All shall be revealed in chapter seven.
Pocky and Fred - Jorge definitely needs a vacation! Just out of curiosity, where would you send Botan and Hiei on a honeymoon? Do I sense a story idea you're considering? As for the fighting scenes, this chapter's a bit short, but there's one last fight in the next LONGER chapter.
CHAPTER SIX: SEARCHING
Yusuke and his team stood before Koenma's desk. The prisoners had been taken away, and each of the team had given his report of the last day's events to the toddler ruler of the Spirit Realm. Kurama and Hiei had just finished their reports when the argument started.
"Well if that big dinosaur-sized ogre thing was there waiting for Kurama and Shrimp Boy, it must've known they were coming. So Enhancer's goons must've given Botan the address as a set up. That's how they knew Kurama and Short Stuff were coming." Kuwabara finished his argument triumphantly.
"As usual your stupidity is showing. Enhancer knew nothing of Botan or her location." Hiei grated out.
"Hey, at least I'm trying to help instead of just standing there taking up space – not that you take up all THAT much space." Kuwabara raised his hand about four feet above the floor, approximating Hiei's total height.
Hiei's eyes narrowed and he began to growl, but Kurama's voice cut in diplomatically. "Possibly, but there is an alternative."
"Spit it out! I haven't got all day." Koenma, back to his usual size, was also back to his usual temper.
"The ferry girls' schedule is hardly a secret in the castle. Any ogre could have looked at the list of addresses assigned to Botan after overhearing our plans to investigate her last known location. We did speak of our plans in the hallway outside, where anyone might have overheard us. As I recall, several ogres were in the vicinity. Assuming the Enhancer's forces decided to divide and conquer, it wouldn't have been difficult for them to send that creature out to dispose of whichever of us showed up at Botan's last address."
"Or it could have been someone else we don't know about." Koenma pushed irritably at a stack of papers on his desk. "Meanwhile I'm still short a ferry girl. And we can't ask Enhancer. He's still out cold." A pleased glint appeared in the toddler's eyes at the memory of his knockout punch.
"Either way, we're wasting time here. I say we go to that address and find out if Botan ever made it there." Yusuke said, his dark eyes bright. "Hanging around here is boring me to death."
"Fine, go!" Koenma waved them out of his office.
They were almost out the door when Koenma's voice stopped them. "Yusuke, just one more thing. Don't come back without my missing ferry girl."
Yusuke grinned, and walked out.
The residential street looked surprisingly calm that afternoon. The park was nearly deserted, save for an old man feeding the pigeons from a park bench.
The only sign that a fight had occurred was the broken fence where the monster had crashed through on its way to the park across the street. Someone had cleared away the bits of wood, but the hole in the fence remained.
The woman who came to the door when they knocked was middle-aged and slightly overweight with a pleasant face. At her side, peering shyly around her mother's hip was a young girl wearing a dress with oversized pockets that looked like teddy-bear faces.
"Yes?" asked the woman doubtfully as her gaze took in the four mismatched teens standing on her front porch.
Yusuke nudged Kurama who went smoothly into the story they'd prepared. "Good day. We're doing a science project about the effects of city pollution on young children. May we ask you a few questions about your daughter?"
The woman grasped the door handle tightly and began to shake her head. "We're awfully busy right now. My mother is ill and we need to go visit her as soon as my husband gets home."
Kurama smiled. "I understand, and I promise we won't take more than a few minutes of your time."
She hesitated, clearly not about to let them inside, but left the door ajar and asked, reluctantly, "What exactly do you need to know for your project?"
Kurama got out a notebook he'd brought from his car to lend credibility to their story. As he did, the little girl left her mother's side and took a sprig of red berries from out of her pocket.
Giggling, she held them out to Yusuke, who dropped to his knees to take them with a grin. "Thanks, kid."
The woman quickly reached out to touch her daughter's shoulder to get her attention and exclaimed, "Ayami! I told you not to pick those berries from off the tree at grandma's house! She's very particular about that tree!"
The little girl stuck her lower lip out.
Kurama reached down and took the sprig from Yusuke, holding it up to show the woman. "That's very wise of you, ma'am." he said softly. "These berries are quite poisonous."
The woman gasped, then pulled her daughter near. "Ayami." she breathed, shocked. Gratitude in her eyes she told Kurama, "Whatever it is you'd like to know I'd be happy to tell you." She pulled the door open wider, her doubts forgotten. "Would you like to come inside?"
"Wait, did you say Ayami?" broke in Kuwabara. "We're looking for Mariko."
"You've only just figured that out?" muttered Hiei. "It's the second time she's said the girl's name."
Kuwabara bristled, but before he could reply, the woman spoke again.
"Mariko?" she repeated. "Oh, Mariko lives three doors down. She and Ayami are friends, aren't you dear?" She ruffled her daughter's hair very gently and continued. "It's very sad. Mariko lives with her older brother. Their parents were killed in a car wreck a year ago. Thankfully, the father worked for an insurance company so with the insurance money Hiroshi was able to keep the house and continue to go to college. He takes care of Mariko all by himself too."
Kurama and Yusuke exchanged looks, then Kurama glanced back at the woman and bowed slightly.
"We must go. Thank you for your time." he told her.
"But what about your questions?" she asked.
"I'm afraid we are supposed to interview only the families on our list." improvised Kurama. "In order to be scientific we need to use the random sample of names from the area that our teacher gave us."
The woman blinked, clearly puzzled, and the little girl looked about ready to cry.
Yusuke dropped to his knees again and confronted her. "Hey kid. Sorry we don't get to interview you. Maybe next time, OK?"
The little girl nodded, then reached out and gave Yusuke a quick hug as her mother watched in astonishment.
"My goodness! Ayami usually doesn't take to strangers that quickly." she said.
Yusuke rose. "I guess I just have a way with kids." He grinned, and turned to go.
Ayami and her mother stood in the doorway and waved goodbye to them as they trooped down the front walkway to the street.
"So what now?" asked Kuwabara as the team paused for a consultation.
"Now we go find Mariko." Said Yusuke, and led the way down the sidewalk.
END CHAPTER SIX