2chapter

Daichi slowly let go of the doorhandle and turned to face the person behind him. In the silence that hung over them, he took the time to study the mysterious stranger. Whoever–whatever–he was, he was tall and even with a long, dark trench coat on, Daichi could see he was extremely well-built. The clouds began to blow in front of the moon again, casting shadows over the stranger's face.

"Do you want that human girl of not?" the husky voice asked again.

"Y-yeah, sure, w-whatever," Daichi managed to stutter out. The man turned around suddenly and began walking down the street. Pausing a moment, he turned and gazed back at Daichi. Daichi jumped and quickly ran after him.


"Are we there yet?" Daichi whined. "Wherever there is," he added under his breath. He sighed when he realized the guy wasn't much of a talker. Daichi took a minute to survey his surroundings. In the poor moonlight, he could barely make out the trees and bushes around him.

Seeing as the park in the city wasn't nearly this densely wooded, he figured they were out of the city limits. The sudden realization hit him: he had just followed a stranger in the middle of the night to a place he had never seen before.

Oh shit! Daichi thought frantically. What the hell was I thinking! I was such a friggin moron! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! There's no telling what this guy'll do to me...Daichi's imagination went wild from all the horror movies he'd been watching recently. I'm too young to die! And judging from that guy's build...he'll probably break my neck...no, with all that muscle, he'd probably torture me! Maybe rip my limbs off...one by one...Daichi's thoughts were interrupted when he accidently bumped into his silent guide. The man turned around slowly and threateningly.

Shit! Daichi frantically backed away, but stumbled over a root in the process, and fell flat on his back. The man leaned over him and Daichi squeezed his eyes shut, praying it would be over quickly. He felt a tug on the back of his collar and when he opened his eyes, he found himself being carried into a dark cave.

Oh so this is where he does his dirty work! Slowly, a dim light near the end of the tunnel grew brighter and brighter. The narrow passage abruptly widened into a large, circular room, bright with numerous candles lining the walls.

"Oww!" Daichi exclaimed when the man dropped him in the center of the room. Daichi blinked and gazed around him. All along the walls were tables covered with bright glass bottles and jars filled with bubbling, colorful liquids. Towering over the tables were large bookcases, messily packed full of large, worn volumes.

Daichi stood shakily to his feet and realized there was something written on the ground. Squatting back down to get a better look, he saw a large circle drawn in a crimson paint. A large triangle was drawn within the circle, and three short lines were drawn through the edges of the circle and triangle.

"I'm so glad you could make it, Aromu-san." Daichi whirled to find an elderly woman. She was extremely short–not even five foot. Her long, pure white hair was wrapped into a perfect kikugasane hairstyle. She wore a deep red silk kimono than covered well passed her feet, and had a long golden necklace around her neck. Despite her warm, welcoming smile, her blue eyes were like ice.

"W-who...uh...who exactly are you?" Daichi finally managed to stutter out.

"I must apologize," the music voice rang out again, "My name is Babba. I hope your trip was a pleasant one." The old woman laughed at the horrified look on Daichi's face. "It seems I owe you another apology, Aromu-san. You must excuse Muotoko. His manners aren't the best."

Abruptly, Babba turned and walked toward the far end of the room. Daichi hadn't noticed that. It seemed to be a separate room. It too was circular, but much warmer and more welcoming than the previous room. There was a fire burning in the fire place and two plush couched sat across from one another, a small coffee table between them.

Babba sat herself down on one of the couches and motioned for Daichi to join her. When he seated himself across from the elderly woman, she handed him a china teacup. It was white with tiny pink cherry blossoms dotted about it. Taking a small sip, a pleasant minty taste greeted him. The two drank the tea in silence for a few more minutes before Daichi's curiosity got the best of him.

"Um...so, why exactly have you brought my here?" He asked bluntly.

"Ah yes," Babba whispered softly, setting the teacup back down on the table. "I have been watching you for quite some time now Aromu-san."

Daichi blinked. "What are you? Some kinda stalker?"

Babba's musically laugh rang out again. "No my boy, not at all. I have just been on the look for the perfect young man unto whom I will pass my knowledge." Babba pushed herself up and stood in front of the fireplace, her hands neatly folded behind her back. "In case you couldn't tell, I am a very old woman Aromu-san. My time in this world is nearly up. But before I pass into the next, I must pass on all that I have learned. Many months ago, I sensed my time of passing was near. I sent my servant Muotoko to search for a suitable replacement. Upon relentless searching, we stumbled across you Aromu-san." Babba turned around to look at Daichi. "You are the perfect replacement. You are athletic, smart, and kindhearted. I feel most confident in passing my knowledge on to you."

Daichi stared at her, letting the information soak in. "So you want me to...continue your work?"

Babba nodded. "I have done endless amounts of research and experiments for the good of people in the world. I needed to find a kind, trustworthy person to continue this."

Daichi sighed. "This is all very sudden. And I thank you. But no. I have things I'd much rather do with my life."

A hurt look formed on Babba's face. "Please, are you sure about that Aromu-san?" Daichi nodded. She paused and then continued with an almost wicked smile, "Don't think I'd just ask you to do this for nothing. I can get you what you most desire."

Daichi, who had been halfway out of the room, stopped and turned. "You don't even know what it is I most desire."

"Ah, but I do. It's that young woman...Keiko Yukimura." Daichi's mouth dropped. How'd she know that...

"Interested, I see. I'll make you a bargain Aromu-san. I'll give Yukimura-san to you," Babba smiled slyly.

"How...? She with that no good Urameshi–"

"Hearts can change when showed the truth. I promise I will make Yukimura-san forget all about this Urameshi-san...and then she will be yours."

"R-really? But...what do you want for that?"

Babba smiled. "When the time comes, I will send Muotoko to bring you here again to see me. Then I will collect what I have earned."

Daichi nodded and smiled, then followed Muotoko out of the cave.

The sun had just began to creep over the hilltops when Muotoko finally returned to the cave where Babba impatiently waited.


"It's about time you returned!" she snapped at him. Muotoko bowed his apology and, in the process, transformed into his natural form. His body shaped remained the same, but all the color changed to gray, as if the color were draining out of his body. His hair and entire face disappeared, leaving a blank gray head. Babba just snorted at her "nothingness man" and turned to her books.

"Well if I'm going to get the pure soul I need to live another thousand years, I'm going to have to give that damn brat what he wants," Babba grumbled, yanking out a large, dusty volume off the shelf. Flipping through the paged, she finally found the spell she was looking for. After scanning the instructions, she turned and dug through a few drawers until she pulled out a neat, creme colored paper, a feather pen, and a bottle of red ink. She popped the top of the bottle of ink and chuckled.

"Blood makes the best ink," Babba smirked, dipping the feather pen into the ink bottle. In thick strokes, she carefully wrote the word "Yuuwaku" temptation. Then, with lightning fast movements, Babba folded the creme paper. When she was finished, the folded figure looked like a small person. Smiling with satisfaction, she placed the paper person down in the center of the triangle drawn on the ground.

Moving back toward the table, Babba selected two viles full of purple and green liquid. Making sure she was outside of the circle, she began to chant. Quietly at first, but after a few minutes, her loud chants echoed throughout the cave. Without warning, Babba threw the viles down on the ground at the paper figure. A huge red cloud formed from the explosion, covering the entire area of the circle. Babba grasped her necklace and continued her chanting, whispering now, until the smoke cleared. After a few moments, the smoke began to disappear and Babba smirked in satisfaction.

Sitting in a huddle on the ground where the paper person once stood was a teenage girl. She had long black hair that billowed about her, covering her otherwise naked body.

"Get up girl," Babba barked, putting the ink bottle and pen away. Slowly, the girl rose to her feet and her yellow eyes fluttered open. Babba carelessly tossed her a pile of clothes and ordered her to put them on. The girl obeyed and stepped into the navy blue school uniform. Babba finally turned to face her creation.

"What is it that you wish of me, Babba-sama?" the girl's musical voice rang out.

Babba glanced over to the front of the cave and saw a the sunlight streaming in. "You are to go out into the city," she began, "and get the boy named Yusuke Urameshi."