Don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.-.-

Ch.9

It had been an entire day latter, and the Reiki Tantei had finally recovered and ready to leave the city.

"Someone shake Hiei out of his trance and let's blow this joint," Yusuke yelled over his shoulder while indicating to the fire demon sitting on the windowsill. Luckily no one had to chance touching him, for at the sound of his name Hiei rose from his perch and headed out the door without so much as a word. Of course this didn't startle anyone, by now they were used to the way he acted.

It was fairly easy to get out of the hotel without being seen, even Kuwabara didn't get caught. There was no one in the halls and the only matter was slipping past the front desk out into the crowded street where they instantly drowned in the ocean of people. The group continued walking until they reached the edge of town where a great forest grew. This left them with two options, go thorough the forest or take the path around it.

"Well, which way?" Yusuke asked. The group turned to Kurama and Hiei, who were the only real demons in the group so they were their best bet. Even Spirit World didn't have any knowledge about this part of Demon World passed the fact that it existed. Luckily, the two demons they did have were two of the best and both knew almost every part of this unknown world.

"We would be easily noticed on the road," Hiei pointed out.

"Well then let's take the woods," Kuwabara said as he headed towards the trees.

"However the forest is very dangerous also," Kurama commented, stopping Kuwabara in his tracks. "It's a combined territory of many different clans of demons. Plus the plants in this forest have a life of their own."

"But the forest would provided with more coverage, we'd be harder to track, besides what's the point of having a plant master if he can't subdue a few dangerous trees," Hiei retorted. The humans just looked on from the sidelines, completely excluded from the conversation.

"So I guess we take the forest," Kurama decided, and the two demons started for the trees. The rest of the group, startled by the abrupt end of the debate, ran to catch up with their retreating comrades.

Kurama had said that the forest was alive, but that could not accurately describe it. It was just plain creepy. Things were constantly moving just on the edge of your vision. You could swear that the trees kept changing their position and, when you did come across a scarce clearing, void of any plants. There was nothing but suffocating darkness. The group had only been walking for forty five minuets and already they wanted out, everyone except the demons that is. They seemed perfectly at home here, this was their element, and it suited them, if not anyone else. They were going through one of the few clearings when both of the demons abruptly stopped, causing all the humans behind them to run head long into them. Neither Kurama nor Hiei were fazed from this but the humans were now laying in a tangle of limbs on the ground. After a hurried and clumsy untangling, all of them managed to stand up with an "I meant to do that" look on their faces.

"Can you fools control yourselves for two minuets," Hiei shot at them.

"Hey, it's not our fault," Yusuke retorted. "You need to warn a guy before stopping like that. What's the deal any way?"

"We're being watched," Kurama answered him before Hiei had a chance to speak again.

"What?" Yusuke spun around, trying to see through the darkness. "You could have mentioned that earlier!"

"If you hadn't been so distracted by your gymnastics maybe you would have noticed," Hiei remarked. Yusuke just glared at him.

"Um, boys, maybe we should concentrate on that thing Kurama said was watching us," Botan interjected. Her command wasn't very persuading, due to the fact that she was cowering behind the closest person to her, Kuwabara; but none the less they both stopped their argument and focused on the problem at hand.

"We don't mean any harm," Kurama called to the darkness. "We're just trying to pass through." Footsteps echoed through the clearing, dampened by the undergrowth, but in the silence of the darkness, it cut like a knife.

Kurama threw a handful of seeds on the ground which quickly grew into about a dozen lampweeds. The florescent bulbs lit up the clearing, and everyone was startled to find a woman standing barely two feet from them. The only way to properly describe her was "black". She had very long jet black hair that almost reached her knees and seemed to flow around her. Matching black eyes were surrounded by skin so pale it was white. Her clothes were also black. Skin tight pants and shirt with gloves and knee high boots covered all skin except her face. Over everything was a black trench coat that reached the ground. How she managed to maneuver this wood in that outfit, they didn't know.

"Shadow Demon," Hiei stated, ever though that didn't help. What in the world was a Shadow Demon?

"So, who have I caught in my forest?" she asked with a voice that flowed like black silk through a river. Before anyone could respond she disappeared, or more like dissolved into the darkness that was threatening to overtake the light.

"Where'd she go?" Kuwabara shouted.

"I'm right here," a voice spoke from behind them. They all whipped around to find her lounging behind them.

"Same old trick," Yusuke whispered. Without a word she started to examine them, looking at each one individually. Kurama was the last one and her eyes stopped on him. She starred at him for a moment before she smiled.

"Hello Youko."

""Hello Vaala," he greeted her. The rest of the group just gawked at him.

"You know her!" Yusuke, Botan, and Kuwabara half asked half shouted at him in unison.

"She's the Queen of the Shadow Demons. I had a fun little affair with her a long time ago, when I was still just Youko," he explained to them before turning his attention back to the women in front of him. "We would greatly appreciate any help you could give us."

"But of course," she answered him while gesturing vaguely with her hand. "It would be cruel of me not to. Come back with me to my clan, I can get you whatever you need there." She walked away and the Reiki Tantei obediently followed her.

"You seem to be on good terms with her," Yusuke whispered to the fox next to him. Kurama nodded.

"We kept in touch, right up to point where I became Shuichi."

"So what exactly is a Shadow Demon?" Kuwabara asked out loud, completely ignorant of the conversation that had been going on next to him.

"I'd tell you," Kurama answered him, "But…Vaala I believe you'd be the better one to explain." She turned around to face the group but kept walking, backwards. How she managed to not trip and know where she was going, they, once again, didn't know.

"Have you heard of Vampires?" she asked. The group, excluding Kurama and Hiei, nodded. They already knew about this and didn't need to participate in this conversation. "Werewolves" she continued, another nod. "Witches-"

"Would you get on with it!" Yusuke shouted, fed up.

"Yusuke!" Botan yelled at him, horrified, before smacking him upside the head. However Vaala didn't seem to take any mind and continued.

"Well, any 'dark' creature that you humans have come up with is actually a Shadow Demon." She paused a moment to let that fact sink in before continuing. "A thousand years ago, more or less, there was an accident. I'm not going to go into the details about it but most of our species ended up stranded in the Human World. Over the years they split up into different clans, developing slight differences from each other and eventually became different species entirely. One group you humans called vampires, one shape shifters, zombies, witches, werewolves etc… It's sad really. Most of them don't remember what they used to be and there are very few 'real' Shadow Demons left now." She looked away from them and seemed to lose herself in thought. "Someday we may disappear altogether." There was a heavy silence when she was done that seemed to snap her back to reality.

"Kurama said you were the Queen," Botan spoke up. Vaala nodded.

"As I have been for the last five hundred years."

"So, are you younger or older that Kurama here?" Kuwabara asked. Kurama himself was the one to answer that question.

"Oh she's far younger. I was well over a thousand before Shuichi came along."

"Actually, I think you were there to see my clan get divided," Vaala put in as she turned around to walk forward. The rest o the trip passed in silence, but there were only about three more minuets until they reached Vaala's clan, so they didn't have to put us with the awkwardness very long.

Vaala was leading them to a place that looked like little more than a cave. A dark hole in a sheer rock wall did not look like very inviting. However it looked much different on the inside, even though it was hard to tell, it was still the inside of a cave. The floor had been polished until it was smooth and flat, rivaling any palace flooring. Thick moss grew over different sized, carved out, niches in the walls that could only be beds and chairs. Walking further in they discovered whole rooms that had been carved, with tables, chairs, and shelves coming out of the walls and floors, but all the rooms were vacant of life. When the tunnel split it just made more hallways. Vaala led them through the maze of tunnels, deep into the cave, her shoes not making a sound on the hard floor.

The group kept walking until the hall came to an end, leading into a monstrous cavern. You could have fit the Taj Mahal in it. From their perch at the end of the tunnel there was a long steep staircase, also carved into the stone, leading down to the floor. This also answered the question of where all the people were, they were all here. The large cavern was filled with people, all of whom had black eyes, black hair of every length, and pail skin, but though they all looked so identical, they were all completely different. Even more amazing was the cavern itself. Stalagmites had been carved into chairs, benches and the like. Streams poured down the walls, creating waterfalls and pools of all sizes. Some of the pools of water were used for drinking; some for growing crops, and still others for bathing, these were concealed of course. It was an entire paradise, hidden underground and it deserved Yusuke's whistle.

"Whoa, that's impressive," and he meant it. Yusuke had seen many unbelievable things, but nothing beat an entire civilization underground.

"Latter I'll show you around more, but right now I'm guessing you're hungry." Vaala smiled as five, very loud, stomachs agreed with her. The Reiki Tantei realized that they hadn't eaten anything in days. She led them down a different tunnel/ hallway to a large room that acted as a kitchen. There was a large table in the middle of the room, and on it was a large assortment of food. "Go ahead," Vaala gestured to the table "Have your fill," and at her command they pounced on the food.

After devouring the feast, the Reiki Tantei were happy and contently full.

"That was probably the best meal I've ever had," Yusuke said while patting his stuffed belly.

"I hear you man," Kuwabara agreed. The entire group was participating in friendly chatter, except Hiei, when they felt the presence of someone coming towards them. When the person entered the doorway they could see it was a young girl. She was maybe sixteen with the same black eyes, pail skin, and perfectly strait black hair in a shoulder length bowl cut. She was wearing a simple white cotton dress that was a stark contrast to her dark features.

"Excuse me, your highness, we need your assistance," she squeaked.

"Alright," Vaala turned to her guests," Excuse me, I'll only be a moment," and she strode out the door following the girl. There was a silence when she left that was broken by Yusuke's exuberant voice.

"Well, she's really nice. When I first heard Shadow Demon I thought she was going to try to kill us and eat us."

"Yes," Kurama answered him. "Contrary to their appearance and name, Shadow Demons are actually one of the kindest species there is. It's in their nature to help those in need. Unfortunately," he continued, "That's also why they have to stay isolated like this." At the groups quizzical stares he explained further. "Their kind doesn't fair well with others, Shadow Demons are extremely giving and other people take advantage of that and use them. It got to the point where they were nearly destroyed and were forced to isolate themselves."

"That's horrible," Botan exasperated.

"Actually we're doing quite well down here," Vaala's voice came from the door way. Apparently she was back from whatever business she had been attending to.

"Oh, no I didn't mean-" Botan started but Vaala raised a hand to cut her off.

"I understand," Vaala reassured the girl. "It was hard at first to adjust to livening like this, but once you get used to it, it's quite nice."

Once the meal was over, Vaala showed them where they could stay for the night. They each had an individual niche to themselves with a woven screen. Kurama lay in the makeshift moss bed staring at the rock above him with the screen closed. It was dark but the room had an eerie glow that all caves seemed to have. The woven mat, although seemingly flimsy, efficiently blocking off all sound, and he was glad for this. Kurama hadn't had a chance to properly think sense the incident in the field and he needed to get his thoughts together.

It's my fault he thought It's my fault they're gone. The humans we were supposed to protect. I failed, but if I can get them back then everything will be fine. A picture of a girl, disappearing into the light, as she tried to desperately cling on to him, slipped into his mind. The thing that confuses me the most is…why did I freeze. I looked at her, and she was looking back at me…and I just froze. Thinking about her, his mind began to wander. He saw images of her during the time they had been watching the kids. The way she looked when she was laughing, thinking, or sleeping, her intensity when she was fighting during a training session. Then something popped into his head that really confused him, the way she had looked at him on the field, before all the chaos started. When the Reiki Tantei had first shown up to rescue them, she had looked at him with wonder, not fear of confusion like everyone else, but complete adoration. Now that the image was in his head he couldn't think of anything else no matter how hard he tried. Why did she look at me like that? He rolled over on his side and stared at the rock wall a few inches in front of his face. "Why?" he whispered to the silence before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

45