"I want answers, oh so very short one."
"Michael! Show some respect!"
"Oh, shove it, Grimmy." Michael replied with a slight smirk on his face. If there was one thing he enjoyed more then his writing, and insulting Koenma, it was teasing Botan, which was really easy.
"All right you two, settle down." Both turned towards the Spirit World leader, Koenma, who was indeed in his toddler form. "Now, what do you want to know?"
"Don't give me your innocent act, toddler. What do you know about Night?" Michael asked; his hands planted on the large desk as he leaned forward, glaring at Koenma.
"Night?" Koenma asked with a confused look on his childish face. "Oh, the energy source? You were able to find it, then?"
"It? It! She isn't an it! She's not even supposed to be real!" Michael hissed, bearing long fangs at the Spirit World leader.
"What are you going on about?" Koenma asked, looking incredibly confused, not to mention rather intimidated.
"Um, I think the girl looked slightly similar to a character from one of the stories he's written." Botan interjected, index finger pointed up into the air. She shrank away quickly when the elfish vampire turned slightly, shooting her a dark glare. She laughed nervously, playing with the sleeves of her pink kimono.
"Oh really? Well, that's not too much of a coincidence –"
"Coincidence?" Michael cut in; a strange look upon his face as he reached up freeing his hair from the low ponytail it had been in. It fell back into place around his face, completely hiding the left side of his face. "This wasn't coincidence, and she didn't just look like her, she was the young women I created! This wasn't just some human with long hair! It was Her."
"Her? What her?" A voice asked as the doors to Koenma's office opened up. Michael cursed loudly as he turned his head to glare at the group of four boys that entered the room. He centered his attention for the moment on the one who had spoken, the leader of the little team, who had brown eyes and slicked back black hair.
"How long have you been eavesdropping on me, Yusuke?" Michael asked, pinning the youth with a well-practiced glare, his right eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Long enough to know something's going on." Yusuke replied, a cocky grin on his face. Michael flexed the claws of one hand, already fed up with the small group.
"What are you talking about, Urameshi? We only just got here!" Another of the boys pointed out stupidly. Michael gave the idiot a brief side-glance, smirking at the orange haired youth's stupidity.
"Would you shut up, Kuwabara? They didn't know that!"
A fight broke out between the two, which most of them just ignored. One of the final two left stepped forward, a tall youth with long red hair and green eyes. He walked over to stand beside the desk, leaning against it slightly.
"So, what is going on?" Kurama asked, looking between the elfish vampire and Koenma.
"There's been a strange power reading showing up in another dimension. It's fortunate that you four showed up when you did." Koenma answered, leaning back slightly in his chair. "I've got another mission for your team."
"Oh really?" Yusuke asked, standing up from the floor. "Well, spill it, toddler. What have you got for us this time?"
"Patience, Yusuke, I was just getting to that." Koenma replied, waving his hand slightly. "Anyway. I sent Michael over to find out about it, and apparently he's found a girl over there that he thinks is the source. I want your team to go with him to this other world to collect her."
"You want us to assist a vampire?" Michael's head turned quickly at the question, looking at the final member of the team, a short demon, dressed in all black with black hair that stood straight up in air in a rather flame like pattern with a small white starburst. The demon glared at Michael, who was more then happy to return the gesture.
"I don't need any help from your little lackeys, Koenma." Michael replied, turning back to the Spirit World leader. "Keep your little team for something they'll actually be useful for."
"Hn." Michael stiffened at the noise from the corner, turning to look back at the demon once more, baring his long fangs as a threat.
"Do you have something to say, Hiei?" Michael asked, giving the small demon an indifferent stare.
"Hn. If you're so capable on your own, then why isn't the onna here already?" Michael snarled at the question, flexing his right hand. "Obviously you need our help, not that I intend to give it."
"I never asked for your help, little one." Michael replied, smirking slightly.
"What was that, blood sucker?" Hiei challenged, hand going to the katana strapped to his side. "I don't even see why Koenma bothers to waste his time trusting you, vampire. How can anymore trust someone that lives off of other's lives."
Michael's spine straightened slightly, eyes narrowing to thin slits as he chose his words carefully. "Why shouldn't they trust me? After all," He replied with a cruel grin, "They seem to trust you enough, Forbidden Child."
Hiei's eyes widened slightly, just before he drew his katana, rushing towards the elf at full speed. Michael smirked, disappearing from view just as Hiei tried to strike him. He reappeared behind the demon, a long sword in his hand. He hit the small demon between the shoulder blades with the hilt, forcing him to the ground.
"Feel free to send your lackey's to do the job, Koenma. But I won't be joining them. Surely they will be able to capture one girl without my help." He gave the group an arrogant bow, before turning to leave. "And Koenma, if I find out they did anything to harm her, nothing in this world, or any other will save them, or you from my wrath."
Koenma laughed nervously, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The spirit detectives watched Michael leave, Hiei muttering darkly to himself as he climbed quickly to his feet. He glared at the retreating vampire's back, silently vowing to get revenge for the humiliation he had been subjected to.
"Well, okay then! Let's get down to business now!" Koenma announced, settling down in his seat. "The world you'll be going to is one of the newer ones that we've just learned of, rather like the one Michael came from. We don't know very much about it, except that it seems to be pretty much the same as our human world." The group settled down as the Spirit World leader started explaining the mission to them, Botan quickly leaving the room to gather any information she could find on this 'Night' that Michael had mentioned.
"Your job is to go to this other world and bring the girl back here." Koenma explained, to which most of the group nodded. A dark smirk crossed Hiei's face, perhaps his chance for revenge would come sooner than he had expected. "And make sure not to harm her." Koenma added quickly, looking directly at the short demon.
"Hn." Hiei replied, crossing his arms over his chest, stupid child, interfering with his plans.
"Yeah yeah, we heard Vampy's death threat." Yusuke replied, hands in the pockets of his jeans.
"Indeed. Michael was most explicit in his request." Kurama agreed, nodding his head. "Now, what else can you tell us about this other world, Lord Koenma?"
"Not much, unfortunately. We've only just learned about this particular world. It's almost a parallel to your human world, though, so I guess it should be basically similar to what life is like for you normally."
"So we won't have to deal with any scary things, like in the vampire's world, right?" Kuwabara asked, looking slightly worried.
"Baka ningan." Hiei muttered, rolling his eyes as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his cloak.
"You say something, Shrimp?"
"Nothing I'm going to waste my time repeating for the likes of you."
"Why you little –" Kuwabara stuttered out, fist clenched. The others stepped in quickly; since Koenma would be less than pleased if Hiei got the idiot's blood on anything in his office.
"Calm yourself, Kuwabara." Kurama quickly suggested, placing one hand on the youth's arm.
"Yeah, baka. Try concentrating on the mission for once." Yusuke added.
"How about you all try paying attention?" Koenma muttered, patience running thin. He cleared his throat, waiting until everyone had turned back to him.
"Anyway, to answer your question; no, there shouldn't be anything too strange there. However, I'll say once again that we don't really know anything about this world yet."
"So much for Spirit World intelligence." Yusuke muttered. "You've really overdone yourself this time, Toddler."
"I'm not a toddler! I'm older then you are, Yusuke Urameshi. Try showing some respect for your elders." Yusuke tried to appear serious, failing miserably as he started laughing his head off.
"Sure thing, Toddler. It's just so hard. You're barely two feet tall!" The detective gasped out, nearly loosing his balance as he continued to laugh.
"Baka." Hiei muttered, growing tired of the whole ordeal.
The group was spared another fight when Botan reentered the room, carrying a thin manila folder. She smiled brightly at everyone, oblivious to the disaster she had thwarted.
"Well? Were you able to find out anything?" Koenma asked.
"Of course!" The ferry girl replied. "Well, it's not much, but it should be of some help to you."
"Well? Spill it already, Botan." Yusuke complained.
"I was just getting ready to, Yusuke, if you'd just kept quiet for more then two seconds." Botan shot back, momentarily loosing her creepily happy mask. It went back up again immediately, though, as a large, incredibly happy smile spread across her face and she opened up the folder she held. "Anyway! The girl's name is Night van Bane, and she lives in what would be the United States in your world. It's one of the many similarities between the two worlds, actually. She's 17, and apparently between five foot two inches and five foot eight inches, with long, slightly curly red-brown hair and golden colored eyes. As far as we can tell, she doesn't have any real family or relatives, and just a few close friends. Basically, she doesn't seem to have a past, no records of her birth or who her parents were. She's just, there."
"Is that all you were able to find?" Koenma asked. Botan shuffled quickly through the papers she had, checking them over once more.
"Yes, sir, that's all we know about her at this time." The ferry girl replied, tucking the folder under her arm.
"All right then, you've been briefed, now move along and out of my office. Botan will get you when it's time for you to leave." Koenma ordered, turning back to a large stack of papers on his desk. No one bothered to try and ask any more questions as they filed out of the office, leaving the small prince to his stamping.
Botan disappeared to where ever she liked to disappear to, mentioning something about seeing if there was any new information and getting a portal ready for the trip. The boys wandered down to their sitting room in the castle, which was attached to each of their rooms, a small kitchen off to the side threw another door.
"I don't see why that little toddler has us doing this." Yusuke complained as he flopped down onto one of the couches in the sitting room.
"What's it matter? I'll bet this girl's cute." Kuwabara announced, a spaced off look on his face. Hiei glanced over at Kurama, rolling his eyes. The fox somehow managed to hold in a soft laugh, letting a small smile grace his lips instead.
Yusuke laughed, stacking his hands behind his head. "Even if she is, remember Michael's threat? I'm pretty sure that includes any mental trauma you would cause."
Hiei left the room as another fight broke out between Yusuke and Kuwabara, Kurama following close behind.
"Idiots." Hiei muttered, standing in the kitchen, hands in the pockets of his cloak.
"So, are you going to help us, Hiei?" Kurama asked, rummaging through the fridge.
"Hn."
Kurama stopped for a moment, a slight smile on his face. "Is that a 'yes' hn, or a 'no' hn?"
"Hn. Why should I?" Hiei asked, ignoring the fox's tease.
"Why not?" Kurama replied, pulling a can of soda from the fridge. "This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain elfish vampire, would it?"
"Hn."
Kurama laughed then, leaning against the counter as he watched his friend. "I thought so."
Hiei huffed silently, folding his arms over his chest stubbornly. "So what if it does?" He asked finally, glaring slightly at the fox in defiance.
"You're really going to give up the chance to look around in a new world because it has something to do with Michael?" Kurama asked, lifting one eyebrow. "I'd never imaged you to be ruled by the mere thought of someone. I can only imagine how bored you must be with the human world, as well."
"Hn." The fire demon replied, though something his friend had said tit a cord in the small demon. "I'll go. That damn vampire doesn't control what I do." Hiei turned and left the room, walking into his room in the palace.
Kurama smiled, popping open the can of soda as he wandered though the sitting room, passing the two humans, who had apparently settled their disagreement and were now watching the television, eyes glazed over in their current vegetative state. The fox laughed softly, walking through to his own room, where he tended to his plants while waiting for Botan to contact them.
And now is when I worry if I portrayed the characters correctly . . . And possibly hiding from enraged Hiei fans . . .
AnimeDarkRain: Hm . . . You'll just have to wait and see. Smiles Night's a writer; I can tell you that for sure. Thank you so much for reading; I'm glad it's intrigued you so far.