Disclaimer- Some really cool/rich/genius Japanese guy owns YYH. And... well.. I'm not even a guy.
A/N- Lookit that; right on schedule. I know one chapter a month isn't much of an update, but I apologize. I do have a life... Anyway, things might just get a little crazy here on out, but stick with it. Plot twists ahead! It'll be tons-o-fun, trust me. A little weird, perhaps, but that's always good, ne? Anyway, on with the chapter!
Yusuke blinked, glancing back and forth between his former employer and the ancient demon before them. Something was definitely going on here; what was all this talk about Koenma being a Spirit Detective? Clearly the old man was off his rocker. Juro, however, frowned, glaring up at Koenma with an unamused expression.
"They don't know you, do they?" Juro growled.
"They know plenty," Koenma snapped, returning the look.
"I never thought I'd see the day where you would hide it all."
"I'm not hiding!"
"There was a time when you said you'd never let anyone forget your name."
"Things change, Juro." There was a dangerous note in his voice, though it hardly made Juro so much as blink.
"And so they have. How can they understand any of this mess-"
"None of us understand this mess," Koenma interrupted. "Why do you think we even bothered to come here? You're a senile old coot who happened to remember a distant relative at the wrong time!"
"You there," Juro said, ignoring Koenma and turning to Yusuke. "What do you know about Koenma?"
"Er... his name? He's the resident Reikai toddler -well, was, anyway- uh, he's King Enma's son..." Yusuke scratched his head.
"He's old," Kuwabara added, cocking his head.
"Hn." Juro turned back to Koenma.
"You see," he said, voice low as he shot Koenma a foul look. "They know nothing."
"I had intended to keep it that way."
"Then perhaps you wouldn't have come, no? Surely they deserve to know something about you. They know lies, Koenma."
"What they don't know happened before most of them were even alive! What does it matter? It has nothing to do with what we're here for!"
"They deserve to know nothing, then, of the boy whom I'm sure they've come to at least respect."
"They don't need to know."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Yusuke said, stepping between them. "I'm lost. I thought Sotou was the first Spirit Detective!" Koenma sighed, running a hand over his face, ignoring Juro's satisfied smirk. He knew the demon had sprung this argument just for the fact that curiosity would get the better of the group, and he'd have to tell them anyway.
"Before you, Yusuke, there was Sensui," Koenma replied, looking down at the floor. "Before Sensui there was Kurou, and before Kurou there was me."
"Then you aren't-"
"Yes, Yusuke, I was really the Prince of Reikai, and before that I was the first Spirit Detective the Ningenkai ever had. Still, I wasn't always Enma's son... And it was a long time before anyone called me Koenma."
"Who are you, then?" Yusuke asked, looking more confused than before.
"When he came to me, he wasn't Koenma," Juro stated, looking at Koenma with a curious look. "There is, however, part of the story I have yet to hear."
"That was long ago, I don't-"
"You remember," Juro snapped. "I can see it in your eyes." Koenma sighed.
"I was Minoru," he murmured, a distant look on his face as he stared blankly ahead, trying to recall. "At least, that's what they called me..."
His eyes trailed after the cloud of dust, head bobbing in time with it's bounce down the crowded street. A light breeze picked up, pushing the dirt blob and ruffling his brown hair. Sitting on the shelf of one of the stalls who's owner had yet to arrive, his gaze drifted from the settling dust to a large man selling apples behind another stall. The apples were bright red, making them all the more alluring to his growling stomach. Hopping down from his perch he began to formulate a plan.
The boy crept to a nearby chicken pen, eyeing the flock strutting around inside. Looking around and making sure no one was watching, he lifted the latch on the gate, allowing the birds to escape. They burst from their confine like wild animals, chasing after the younger children and all but attacking the adults. It was the perfect distraction for the petty crime he was about to commit.
The large man behind the apple stall was busy chasing off the rabid poultry, leaving his goods open for any thief to snatch. Which was, of course, precisely what the teen did. Three huts down and around the corner, he munched happily on his red apple. It wasn't as juicy as usual, but they had been up for sale for quite some time. Still, it was far better than nothing.
"You there." The teen stopped mid-step, apple half-way to his mouth. Had they finally caught him?
"Yes?" He put on his best innocent look, prepared to face some random villager who had caught him sneaking off with the apple. Instead he turned to face a rather elderly man, one he had never seen in the small villager before.
"Did you steal that apple from Jucha?" The elderly man raised both his eyebrows, the teen tossing the apple core to the side and brushing his hands.
"You mean the big blue guy with horns and a green tongue?" The boy put his hands to his head, index fingers pointing up to resemble horns. "Then yeah, I stole it from him. But he had it coming; he stole them from someone down at the river the other night."
"You can see them, then?"
"See who?"
"The demons. The youkai. People like Jucha."
"Well, yeah... Can't everybody?" The man was silent.
"What is your name, boy?"
"Minoru."
"Minoru, where is your family?"
"I don't have one." Minoru wrinkled his nose. "Why?"
"Come, Minoru. Follow me." The man began walking and, after slight hesitation, Minoru followed after. "What do you think of when you hear the words Spirit Detective?"
"Wait, wait, wait," Minoru began, eyes wide as he stared at the old man. "You're trying to tell me that you're King of this... Spirit World place, and you want me to kick a bunch of demon-ass before they can take over the Human world?"
"Yes."
"Cool. Where do I start?"
"First we must go to Spirit World, Minoru. Before you can become Spirit Detective, one must die."
"You're going to kill me?"
"And bring you back to life, naturally. Your spirit energies will be more active then, and you will be able to fight with more enhanced skills than you would otherwise. Contrary to popular belief, dying can be a very good thing."
"Yeah, well, not everyone has some spirit guy to bring 'em back."
"Point taken," King Enma replied. They had reached a small clearing in the nearby woods, the sound of the river sloshing away in the distance.
"How do you plan on.. er.. killing me, anyway?"
"We need to take into account your skills now, so that when I revive you I know where to train you."
"... That means...?"
"Minoru, meet the Special Defense Force."
"I thought you were King Enma's son," Kurama stated, staring quizzically at what seemed to be the former detective. He swirled a cup of tea in his hand while Kuwabara and Yusuke sipped their own, gagging and making faces at its bitter taste.
"I am," Koenma replied, his tone uncertain. "To an extent. That didn't happen until much later..."
"If you aren't really 'Koenma', then why does everyone call you that?" Keiko asked, her voice seeming out of place as it echoed the large room. They were seated at a long table, Juro placed at the front, Koenma and Genkai flanking his sides.
"That comes later," Koenma said. "Much later."
"I still can't believe your own father would kill you," Yusuke added, shaking his head. He paused a moment, reconsidering. "Well, actually I can, but still."
"He didn't know me then, Yusuke. Even if he had.. I-I don't think it would have made much difference."
"Great, next he's going to tell us George was his assistant," Kuwabara muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Actually," Koenma began, turning a bit pink. "He did help an awful lot..."
"Can we get back to the point, please?" Yusuke grumbled. He set down his cup, wiping off his mouth with his sleeve, earning a glare from Keiko which he ignored. "I still wanna know where all this Koenma business came from, then, if you're supposed to be Minoru."
"When I was Minoru... There was already a Prince in Reikai. My father's son. He had been on the throne for many years already..."
"What, a long-lost brother or something?"
"No. In all technicality, I'm not really my father's son. The real heir died after I became Spirit Detective." Koenma swallowed, staring at the table. This was more difficult than he thought it would be. "His name was Koenma. I'm just his replacement."
