Disclaimer- Some really cool/rich/genius Japanese guy owns YYH. And... well.. I'm not even a guy.
A/N- This chapter, I admit, is rather... dull. The entire thing is a flashback, however, so I hope it's more interesting than I think it is. Things should pick up, however, in the next chapter or so; we'll visit our favorite ferry girl and find out how Koenma became good friends with a familiar face or two... 'Till then, enjoy!
IMPORTANT! In this chapter, 'Minoru' is our Koenma, and 'Koenma' is the...er.. old Prince of Spirit World. When you see 'Minoru', think of our toddler, and you shouldn't have any problems.
ALSO! I made an error; Juro DID know Koenma back when he was Minoru. I've fixed it, but just so you don't go getting confused...
Minoru had thought his skills were rather decent, particularly considering he wasn't even a peasant. The Spirit Defense Force, however, seemed to prove him wrong. He couldn't get a shot in edge-wise. They were closing in, all of them; there were too many to fight off. But even if they hadn't been ganging up on him, he knew there was no way he could defeat them all. A growl escaped his throat as he was shoved to the ground, glaring up at the group crowding around him. Maybe if he-
"Augh!" Minoru squeezed his eyes shut, clutching his stomach as the attack slowly faded.
"Pathetic." The captain kicked at Minoru's side, whom had managed to bring back his glare. "I don't know what King Yama sees in you. Couldn't even defend himself." With a short laugh he delivered the final blow. A last cry of anguish echoed in the clearing, each of the SDF, save the captain, bowing their heads in respect.
Minoru was dead.
Slowly the room came to focus though, when it did, he wished it hadn't; the lights glared down on him, hindering his ability to see properly. He sat in cautious silence a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the sudden change in light. Rubbing his head he sat up, glaring around the room, trying to figure out where he was. He was sitting on a small bed shoved in the corner, the only thing in the room of whitewashed walls. His clothes were still the same, dirty mess they were from as far back as he remembered, and other than a mild headache he felt perfectly fine.
Minoru slipped off the edge of the bed, slowly making his way to the door, pausing only twice as a wave of dizziness washed over him. At last his hand curled around the cold door knob and he pushed it open. The hall was quiet and deserted, giving Minoru a rather uneasy feeling. He walked down the hall, eyes trailing over the strange decor. It was a rather bored place, actually; far too quiet for his own tastes. With a sigh Minoru shoved his hands into his pockets, wondering where the exit was, no longer interested in discovering how he had gotten where ever it was he was. That is, until he saw the blue people running around.
"Excuse me, but could you tell me-" The creature he addressed stumbled off, muttering something about file work that needed to be done. "Hey, you! Yeah, I want to know-" Another dashed off, leaving Minoru in the dark yet again.
"Ogre! I want to know why this case hasn't been sent out to any of the Spirit Detectives!" Minoru blinked, peering past the bustling flow of blue things, catching sight of a black haired boy ranting to what appeared to be his personal assistant, another blue creature.
"Sir, we don't have any!" The ogre stuttered, holding up a stack of papers in defense. "They're all dead or fired or injured or they quit..."
"I get the picture," the boy muttered, running a hand over his face. He didn't seem much older than Minoru himself, yet had the air of a sophisticated adult about him, save for the fact he was complaining like a small child. "What are we going to do? That new kid hasn't woken yet, and father said these cases were urgent. He'll have my head if they aren't solved before he goes on vacation! What are-Who are you?" Minoru blinked and looked around.
"Er.. me?" Minoru asked, scratching his head.
"No, the idiot behind you," the boy replied scathingly. "Yes you. Who are you?"
"Minoru."
"... IT'S HIM! OGRE IT'S HIM! Now father won't be angry! This is a miracle! You're the new Spirit Detective, right?'
"Uh..."
"No, don't say 'uh', 'uh' isn't good! What do you mean 'uh'?"
"Well, I remember this old guy, and these whacked-out weirdos trying to kill me, then I woke up here-"
"Old guy? You must mean father." The boy laughed, grabbing Minoru's arm and leading him down the hall. "Something tells me you're the kid I've been waiting for. I'm Koenma, by the way."
"Where are we, anyway?"
"The Spirit World," Koenma replied. "You mean you don't know?"
"I just woke up; I don't know where I am! What are these blue things?"
"Ogres; sort of like field mice on Earth."
"What's with the pacifier?" Koenma frowned.
"Enough questions." Before long they came to a stop in front of a large set of doors tall enough for a giant. Minoru gulped, craning his neck in attempt to see the very top.
"T-This is where your father is?" he stuttered.
"Yes," Koenma replied with a grin. "King Enma himself."
"Wait a minute! You father is the ruler of the underworld?" Minoru was torn between fear, amazement and being impressed.
"Spirit World," Koenma corrected, "or Reikai, I suppose, if you're looking to be poilitcally correct. But yet, he is the King. Very prone to vacations, however, and I get landed with all the work. Ogre!" The ogre that had been with Koenma appeared.
"Yes sir?"
"Inform father we've arrived."
"Yes sir!" The ogre disappeared behind the giant doors, leaving Minoru and Koenma to themselves. Several minutes passed filled only by their shifting of positions and, eventually, the low rumble of King Enma's voice from beneath the giant doors.
"I-" Minoru began, but one of the large doors creaked open and the ogre poked his heat out.
"Your Majesty King Enma will se you now," the ogre announced.
"Thank you, Jorge," Koenma replied and, before Minoru had a chance to comprehend that the blue creature had a name, dragged the bewildered teen into the room. They were both silent as they proceeded down the short hall, a feeling of dread washing over Minoru; what had he gotten himself into? The old man in the village had been nice enough, though now Minoru found himself wondering if that had all been an act. He didn't have time to dwell on this idea, however, as they were soon before the Great King himself.
"Hello, father." Koenma gave a slight bow and Minoru quickly followed suit. "Your Spirit Detective has awoken."
"Good, good," King Enma replied, his low, jolly voice rumbling about the room. "It's about time! You were out long enough we could've taken you for dead if we didn't know any better." Even Koenma cracked a smile and Minoru nearly fell over as the King's laughter shook the hall.
"Well... Uhm," Minoru stuttered, looking between the Prince and the King, feeling rather confused. "I'm-"
"Confused?" Koenma finished, a light grin just visible behind his pacifier. "That's normal. I-" He cut himself off as his father sent him a harsh look, redirecting his eyes to meet the floor. "Sorry Father."
"Now, Minoru, you have a lot of work to do if you wish to be a Spirit Detective," King Enma continued, leaning back in his massive chair. "Are you willing to do that?"
"... Yes," Minoru replied, scratching his head. "Though I didn't know I was going to be- Oh, wait, I remember now." His expression turned sheepish.
"Very well, then. As long as I have your full commitment." He turned his gaze to Koenma. "Koenma, I want you to fill him in immediately and take him to Jiro. There's much work to be done and with our current crisis we don't have much time."
"Yes Father." Koenma bowed, Minoru following suit in his clumsy manner before trailing after the Prince as they left the throne room. "That man..."
"He didn't seem so bad," Minoru shrugged, jumping as Jorge came up behind them.
"That's because you're new around here," Koenma muttered. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Now, I suppose we should explain some things, eh?"
"And I thought Spirit World was weird." Minoru stared at the portal with a mix of resentment and fascination. "You mean there's an entire world just for demons?"
"Yes, but they're constantly flooding the human world, which is why we have people like you to do all the dirty work," Koenma replied, hands shoved in his pockets. Minoru was wearing a cleaner pair of his peasant clothes from before, which had been surprisingly well-kept. "Anyway, this portal should dump you right in front of Juro's place and if you can't find it, you're blind and we really need to be better in choosing our last line of defense for the entire human race." Minoru blinked.
"Gee, aren't you Mr. Optimistic," he glowered, returning his glare to the portal. "You sure this thing's saaaaaaahhhhh!" Koenma lifted his leg and kicked Minoru's backside, sending him toppling into the portal. Chuckling, the Reikai Prince walked away, humming happily as the SDF sealed the portal.
"Koenma sir, there's a mass of papers-"
"I know Ogre," Koenma growled, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. "Don't ruin my good mood."
