Disclaimer to the FFnet staff and those who might report this to them: I humbly submit that, while this is not a work of fiction in and of itself, I am offering it for readers of my crossover series who may not be familiar with one or more of the involved titles, so that hopefully they may still enjoy my fan fictions rather than skip them over. If there is a serious problem with this or you have a suggestion for how better to handle this, please let me know! I am a very open-minded person and eager to work things out when/if there is conflict. Thank you. DD

Yu Yu Hakusho - The series actually begins with the death of the hero! Yep, that's what I said. Urameshi Yusuke, 14, was hit by a car when he did a flying tackle to knock a child, who'd wandered into the street, out away from on-coming traffic. As the ill-tempered juvenile delinquent's death was completely unforeseen by the Spirit Realm (who would've thought such a rotten boy would do such a good and selfless deed?!), no one knew quite what to do with him. Lord Koenma, ruler of the Spirit Realm inasmuch as it pertains to the Human Realm (he is son of Emperor Enma, true ruler of Spirit Realm), decided to test the boy and grant him back his life if he succeeded. Yusuke passed and regained his life - as a Spirit Detective, a sort of "cop" for the Spirit Realm who captures youkai from the Demon Realm (a.k.a. Makai) who escape into the Human Realm where they are not allowed to be. It was in his very first mission, in fact, that he was first introduced to two who would become very dear friends of his - Hiei and Kurama - when he was sent after them and another for a theft of powerful items from Spirit Realm. My fic, "Partners, Friends" can give you more detail about that, at least from the youkais' point of view.

Anyway, Yusuke has some neat powers that he can call upon using his Reiki ("spirit energy", specifically "human spirit energy" - "youkai energy" is called Yoki). He can gather it into his right index finger and shoot it like the bullet of a gun (his trademark Spirit Gun). He can concentrate it into his fists or feet to enhance the damage dealt to an opponent by a punch or kick. He can deflect air-born weapons (anything from arrows to rocks and even bullets!). He's got a head thicker than concrete (both physically and figuratively speaking)! He's supernaturally strong and tough, able withstand far more damage than any normal human could ever hope to. By the beginning of this crossover series, he is 15.

His closest friend is Kuwabara Kazuma, same age and also human. Kuwabara is a powerful psychic who quickly learned to harness his own abilities once association with his best friend began to prove hazardous to his health ((grin)). He is highly sensitive to the supernatural (e.g. sixth sense, presence sense) and can produce an energy sword with his Reiki (his trademark Spirit Sword). He is often taken for the stereotypical "big, dumb ox" of the series. While he is definitely the comic-relief character of the show, he's not stupid (just lacking in common sense sometimes! ((grin)). He and Hiei are often at odds verbally as the latter is prone to comment on his clumsiness and lack of tact, at best.

Hiei is a youkai - poorly translated as "demon" or sometimes "apparition," a supernatural being originating from the Demon Realm. He is a master swordsman and trained assassin, inhumanly fast and very powerful. Those who cross him do not live long enough to regret it. He is also a possessor and wielder of a Jagan - a mystical third eye implanted in his forehead. Through it, he has a whole discipline of supernatural abilities and mystical energy attacks he can call upon, including his infamous Black Dragon Wave. It is an immensely powerful offense that summons a dragon of pure black energy from the hell-fires of a deep level of the Demon Realm. It is not an attack he uses lightly, however, as it leaves him completely drained of energy and knocks him unconscious for a period of time after the attack is completed. He is well into his 500's in age. Because of a harsh background, he does not trust easily (to say the least!!). His closest friend, Kurama, is perhaps the only one who has ever truly understood him.

The fourth of the core group is Kurama. Known among humans as Minamino Shuichi, he is actually a blend of human and youkai. As a full-blooded youkai, he was a "youko" or fox spirit. He was also a notorious thief, known throughout the lands of the Demon Realm. Then, mortally wounded by a powerful bounty hunter (it was actually one of the Spirit Realm's Special Defense Squad members, Shunjun – or so the guy likes to boast), Kurama's only means of survival was to take a spirit form and flee to the Human Realm, find an unborn infant with which to merge, and recover in the form and guise of a human. It would take him 10 years to completely regain his memories, skills, and powers, at which point he could return to the Demon Realm. I guess-timate him between 1,200 and 1,500 years in age at that time. He is known to be at least 1,000 years old according to one event from his past which took place that long ago and he was well established by then. By the beginning of my saga, his physical body is 16 and he is still living as a human, having found a world and a way of life far different and - in his eyes - better than the one he left behind. He is perhaps best known for his ability to manipulate and control plant life of all kinds and his trademark weapon is the Rose Whip, fashioned from an ordinary rose transformed by the power of his Yoki. Though he is half-human, Spirit Realm classifies him as a youkai but he and his "partner-in-crime," Hiei, have special permission to remain in the Human Realm, serving Lord Koenma as Spirit Realm Detectives alongside their human counterparts. Each possesses an artifact, called a periphery key, which allows him to open a dimensional doorway from any of the Three Realms (Human, Spirit, Demon) to any other as needed for their duties. (Again, I refer you to my fic "Partners, Friends," for more information on this. The periphery keys are a creation of mine.)

Near-constant companion of the foursome is Botan, a ferry girl of the Spirit Realm, an Astral being who is capable of taking a physical form. Until recently, her "life" (I don't know how she would be classified, strictly speaking) was rather simple - escort the spirits of the human dead along the river Sanzu to the Gate of Judgment in the Spirit Realm. She had other odd duties but this was her main one - until she was sent to deal with Yusuke upon his death in the car accident. When he became Spirit Detective, she was assigned by Lord Koenma to be his assistant and his contact to the Spirit Realm. She has since come to know him and the other three as dear friends and does all she can to help them - although her light-blue hair must be the Spirit Realm's equivalent of being blonde because she can be quite clumsy and scatterbrained at times. However, she means well and is far more of an asset to the group than a hindrance.

Around the same time that Yusuke was first sent after Hiei and Kurama, Kuwabara started to become more and more aware of the supernatural, first displaying an ability to see things normal humans (and even Yusuke) could not. He joined Yusuke actually by accident on the next assignment and was thereby rather inducted as an unofficial detective himself. It was during this that he also first manifested his Spirit Sword. Then a threat arose in the Demon Realm for which Yusuke was called into action and Kuwabara followed. The two humans, still relatively new to their powers, were not going to be able to handle the situation alone, however - they would need help. Lord Koenma sent Kurama and Hiei to back them up. Again, the story of this is told in "Partners, Friends," though from Kurama and Hiei's points of view (the TV series focuses on Yusuke). One of Yusuke's next assignments was a little different - the rescue of a youkai from a rich, ugly human. The youkai in question was a koorime or "Ice Maiden" named Yukina. She was also Hiei's twin sister! (She is far closer to her mother's people in appearance and ability than her brother is.) The girl was successfully rescued (my fic, "What Goes Around . . . " inserts at this point) but the demonic villains Yusuke and Kuwabara defeated to do so were not killed, having faked their deaths and in fact purposefully throwing the fight, having been paid off by one of the tyrant's business partners. The Toguro brothers, however, wanted a rematch with Yusuke and his companions that would be a fight for real. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei were "invited" to participate in an event known as the Dark Martial Arts Tournament. Now, by being "invited," I mean that they were given no choice, not if they wanted to keep their lives. Team Urameshi managed to survive a long and grueling series of fights over several days, finally facing Team Toguro in the final round. I'm sure it's not giving anything away to say that they did win the round and therefore the Dark Tournament. However, it is an exciting and harrowing series of team and one-on-one fights that are very much worth watching even knowing the ultimate outcome.

There are two major story arcs in the series after the Dark Tournament which will not have occurred yet by the beginning of my Spellfire Saga. These are the Sensui Saga, also known as "Chapter Black," and the Makai Tournament or "Saga of the Three Kings." Presumably after these is when the events of the movie "Bonds of Fire" occur. The US release of the movie is better known as "The Poltergeist Report" which is really just one possible translation of the series' title, "Yu Yu Hakusho." For my saga, these events take place several days to some weeks after the end of the Dark Tournament. Because these events have bearing on my series, I will summarize the plot where I am not with the Sensui Saga and the Makai Tournament.

Ages ago, there were not three but four Realms. Still existing are the Human, Demon, and Spirit Realms. As the Spirit Realm exists "above" the Human Realm, above the Demon Realm once existed the Nether Realm. In a time so long ago only Emperor Enma himself remembers, there was a war between the Spirit and Nether Realms over control of the Human Realm. In this war, the Nether Realm was completely destroyed and its ruler, Lord Yakumo, and his three "demon gods" were cast into a prison in the cold darkness of deep space. Over the ages, the seal on the prison weakened until its captives were able to escape altogether. The Spirit Realm was attacked, completely submerged under water, but not before Lord Koenma sent Botan to the Human Realm to find Yusuke. With her, he sent a powerful artifact of pure Nether energy known only as the Power Sphere. With its power, Yakumo could recreate the Nether Realm in the Human Realm. Yakumo did eventually regain possession of the Power Sphere but Yusuke and company defeated him after a long, brutal battle, destroying both him and the sphere for good.

Each of Yakumo's demon gods were dealt with before this final confrontation but the only one which really has bearing for my saga is the one whose chosen target was Kurama. Unbeknownst to Kurama, the creature searched his memories, able to take the form of whatever person or creature from his past could best be used against him. Sometime before Kurama's near-death and flight into the Human Realm, he had a partner-in-crime, a koumori or bat-spirit by the name of Kuronue. Besides being a fellow thief, Kuronue was a close friend of Kurama's until his death in a lethal trap while they were escaping a heist. Even after sixteen years recovering as a human, Kurama's memories were not perfectly complete as a figure stepped from the shadows and cursed him as a traitor. This "Kuronue," really the demon god, confronted Kurama twice, accusing him of purposefully tricking the koumori into the trap to save his own hide. Of course, the subtly mind-altering mists and low, hypnotic tones that always accompanied the demon's appearance did not help Kurama any. It was not until the false Kuronue closed for the final kill that Kurama could even bring himself to do more than defend as he desperately tried to remember the truth. Before leaping in, the imposter threw a pendant at Kurama, aiming to distract him. This necklace was one he had been dangling and toying with each time they met and was the one thing Kurama did remember about his old partner with clear certainty. Kuronue was never without that pendant and would never have thrown it away. It was losing the pendant that had lured him into the trap to begin with. The unexpected action now was what snapped Kurama free of the deception, allowing him to remember Kuronue's true words yelling at him to run, to save himself, that day he had been forced to leave his best friend behind. With that, he found the strength to retaliate, killing the imposter. Though it is not clear in the movie, I would imagine Kurama kept the necklace to remember his old friend, even if it was not the genuine artifact.

My saga picks up just a few days after these events.

Oh! Really quick, there are a handful of other characters you need to know about, though they are generally more support cast. First of all, there is Yukimura Keiko, Yusuke's girlfriend. She is a straight-A student (or at least the equivalent in the Japanese school system; don't know exactly how their grading works), good-natured, compassionate, and always worried about her boyfriend, whom she has known since both were small children. Keiko is very often seen with a little blue cross between a teddy bear and a penguin with beady black eyes, a black tuft of hair on the top of his head, little bitty forearms/wings, long floppy ears with which he flies, and yellow beak and feet. He is Puu, Yusuke's Spirit Beast, a creature bound to his soul. They reflect one another and are intimately connected. What one feels or experiences, the other knows instantly. Also seen hanging with the company from time to time is Kuwabara's older sister, Kuwabara Shizuru - a no-nonsense young woman who has no problem taking care of herself. She's even capable of beating the dog-snot out of her younger brother! Of course, it helps that Kuwabara's manly honor code won't allow him to raise a hand to a girl - any girl. Then there is Kuwabara's one-true-love (most the rest of the group can only roll their eyes) - Hiei's twin sister, Yukina. Both Yukina and Kuwabara are unaware of her relation to Hiei - at Hiei's strong "request" to the rest of the company who do know. She is as opposite from her brother as one could ask for - kind, innocent, sweet, naive, compassionate, gentle, and a skilled healer. Oh, did I mention naive? LOL Anyway, Kuwabara is head-over-heels for Yukina, declaring their love and what-not at every chance he gets. She likes him and thinks he's funny, not quite understanding him. Did I mention naive?

Lord Koenma himself deserves mention here as well. Koenma is the son of Emperor Enma. In fact, his name literally translates as "Enma Jr." For most of the series, he appears as a toddler - complete with pacifier, in fact (what no one knows is that the baby-toy is far more than it would seem . . . ). For much of the early parts of the series, his behavior actually befits his appearance - bossy, temperamental, prone to fits when he doesn't get his way. A growing friendship with his Spirit Detective and the rest of the gang, however, is not without its affects on the "young" ruler (he's only in his 700's, after all ((grin)). His growth as a character is even more marked as he watched his friends face the perils of the Dark Tournament, standing by their side himself by the end of it. He is able to take an alternate form, that of a handsome young teenager (still complete with pacifier!! LOL), which he uses more and more throughout the tournament. Personally, I think this has some reflection on the mental and emotional growth he is going through. Until Yusuke, he did not have a lot of personal contact with people outside of his father and some of the ferry girls and oni (Japanese ogres) who work for him. Dealing first with the irreverent Yusuke (who has done quite a bit of growing up himself), then more seriously with his Spirit Detective's foes, have forced a maturity from Koenma that he had not had to deal with before. I intend to further explore this during the course of my saga.

Other important secondary characters include Master Genkai, human. She is a sort of hermit-monk martial arts master who also is a powerful user of Reiki ("human spirit energy"). She is Yusuke's mentor in the use of his own Reiki in combat, training him in her personal style of fighting known (at least in English) as the Spirit Wave techniques. She is not one to cross, being an exceedingly formidable combatant herself in spite of her advanced age and diminutive size (she can't be over 3½ feet tall!). She maintains a shrine-like retreat in the mountains. People sometimes come to her for advice or if they are experiencing strange powers. Kuwabara Shizuru, who is an able psychic like her brother though more on the sensitive than physical side, is a long-time friend of Genkai's. It was she who suggested Kuwabara see Genkai when his powers began to manifest in earnest.

The last two who will be making appearances on and off in the series are Urameshi Atsuko, Yusuke's non-working, alcoholic, party-girl mother (she had Yusuke too young and part of her has never quite grown up, though she really does love her son and wants the best for him) and Minamino Shiori, Kurama's human mother, a hardworking single parent who is very close to her son, though she does not know the truth of her son's nature. She is engaged to be married.

Oh! One pretty important difference from the anime is one I found in the manga. In the anime, Atsuko does not know about the truth of her son, either, as a Spirit Realm Detective. She was passed out in a drunken stupor when Keiko and Shizuru confronted Botan about where their boyfriend and brother had disappeared to and thus found out about the Dark Tournament and the truth about the two and about the Realms. In the manga, Atsuko was right there beside the two girls and therefore was also present for the whole Dark Tournament story arc. For my saga, I will be dealing with Atsuko from this angle, that she knows the truth rather than having no clue as she continues to do in the anime.