The sidewalks were packed and the streets were full of traffic. Yuiko was in the midst of it, the wristwatch that Botan gave her pointing her in the direction of an alleyway. Yuiko walked down it, still staring at the wristwatch. The alleyway was nothing like the street itself. It was empty and dark, and had several big, muscular thugs smoking cigarettes leaning on the walls and trashcans. A few wolf whistles broke out.
"Hey, hey, baby."
"Where're you going? The fun's just about to start now that you're here." were just a couple of the catcalls. It wasn't until she walked down to a corner of the alleyway that she stopped. In the corner was a guy in a green shirt with a broad face, and by the looks of his arms, he either fought for a living or worked out at a gym most of the time. Yuiko didn't look impressed. She saw a shadow of horns on the top of his head, but didn't comment.
The guy didn't seem to have noticed her because he got up and walked down another alleyway connected to that one. Yuiko waited until she could barely hear his footsteps before following, a whistle or two following her. She rolled her eyes at it and gazed at her wristwatch.
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In a forest, a short man clad in black with spiky black-and-white hair was thrusting a sword out at the air. A red-haired boy in a pink school uniform with green eyes watched this. The red-head was Suiichi. "Hiei, could you please cut it out. I have to tell you something." Suiichi said, the man taking another swing at the air. Hiei stopped and glanced at him.
"What?" Hiei spat.
"Have you been sensing powerful energy here? Ever since I bunked into a girl today, it seems there's something here that we overlooked." Suiichi explained. Hiei just shrugged and snorted.
"A human girl bunked into you and it suddenly seems like something's wrong? What can some human girl do?" Hiei asked cockily. Suiichi watched Hiei out of the corner of his eye. Hiei had a hand on his waist, the sword in the other.
"It wasn't some girl, Hiei. It was that champion fighter that I mentioned. She's part of her school's wrestling team and is quite something in street fights. It's possible that she could take down a few demons." Suiichi retorted.
"What class?" Hiei demanded. Suiichi shrugged.
"Oh, third class. Maybe second." Suiichi replied. Hiei made a disbelieving sound. "She's the strongest human in this city. I'm surprised she hasn't gone to national fighting tournaments yet."
"She's still just a human." Hiei argued. "How could a human change anything? And in case you forgot, we're not third or second class. We're better." Suiichi shook his head. Before he could say another word, the guy that Yuiko had been following came into the clearing.
"Hello, Igor." Suiichi greeted.
"Hn. About time." Hiei said as a greeting. Igor was smirking. "What took you?"
"Oh, just breakfast. Souls are so delicious." Igor commented, rubbing his stomach. Suiichi, meanwhile, was staring at what was behind Igor.
"I see you brought company, Igor." Suiichi conversed. Igor raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?" Igor asked, turning around and seeing an angry Yuiko. "Oh, it's just a human girl." Suiichi hit his forehead.
"I just went through this with Hiei." Suiichi sighed. The red-head lowered his hand from his face. "Hello, Ms. Urameshi." Hiei and Igor looked amused.
"Do you have any idea what you have just walked into?" Hiei demanded, brandishing the sword. Yuiko eyed it with curiosity. Yep, it was the Shadow Sword.
"Yes, I know what I have just walked into. A clearing in the middle of the forest inhabited by two demons who stole precious items of King Yama's, which never gets rained on. FYI, it's raining, and that's one of the reasons how I found this place so easily. The other reason," Yuiko pointed to Igor. "is him being blind." Igor didn't have time to retaliate to her comment.
"You know King Yama?" Hiei hissed. Yuiko gave him a look that clearly stated, "Well, duh." She took out a little wallet and displayed a Spirit Detective badge that Botan quickly handed her before she left.
"Just some human girl, huh?" Suiichi asked Hiei, a grin on his face. Hiei glared at him.
"Take care of her, Igor." Hiei spat, his grip on the Shadow Sword tightening. Suiichi on the other hand sat down and leaned against a tree, apparently thinking that he was about to watch. Hiei disappeared a second later, Igor standing in front of her, cracking his knuckles.
"Let's get down to business, shall we?" Igor said. Yuiko smirked.
"Do you even know how to do that?" Yuiko asked cockily. Igor glared at her before throwing a punch at her. Yuiko grabbed it and punched him in the stomach. Nothing happened. Yuiko blinked in surprise. Igor then kneed her in the stomach. Pain seared through her and she stumbled backward.
"Igor, you're so impolite." Suiichi commented. "You should have told her that your outsides are as hard as diamonds."
"Stay out of this and shut it, Kurama." Igor growled. Yuiko groaned in misfortune. Skin as tough as diamonds? Koenma would have to pay her for this. Yuiko suddenly got an idea.
"Hey, Igor!" Yuiko taunted. "How about you show me that demon form of yours! Surely demons don't look that much like humans! I've already seen those horns in your head! They make you look like a goat!" Igor growled under his breath. Steadily, his skin turned red, he grew a few feet, his horns were once again visible, and it was obvious that he had a big mouth. The Spirit Orb fell to the ground and landed with a soft thud. Yuiko smirked. Igor ran at her and punched her across the face, making her go flying. Yuiko crashed into a tree and steadily got up. "Ow. Okay, Koenma is so gonna hafta pay me for this." Yuiko stealthily picked up a thick piece of tree trunk and hid it behind her back. Igor ran at her again, but this time, when he got close enough, Yuiko stuffed the piece of tree trunk into his mouth so he'll keep it open.
"I bet your insides aren't as hard as your outsides, are they?" Yuiko asked, pointing her index finger at his mouth. She took aim and - "SPIRIT GUN!" A scream of agony pierced the air and one of the demons was done with. Yuiko picked up the Spirit Orb, ignoring the pain throbbing in her cheek and stomach. She turned around to Suiichi, only to find that he wasn't there. Yuiko blinked and looked around. He wasn't there anymore. "Where'd he go?" Yuiko stood there for a minute before turning around and leaving the clearing.
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"Yuiko, why is there a new bandage on your cheek?" Keiko asked Yuiko the next day at school.
"Yeah, normally you tell us when you're gonna go kicking somebody's butt." Kuwabara stated. Yuiko just stared at the blackboard in front of them with her arms crossed.
"It's nothing serious." Yuiko replied. The teacher, who has the personality of a monster, came into the room right then and was about to start the lesson when the principal came in.
"Ms. Urameshi?" the principal asked. The teacher groaned.
"What has she done this time?" the teacher demanded. Yuiko huffed a little.
"Nothing. It's just that - she's gotten a letter from Suiichi Minamino." the principal announced. The room went silent. It wasn't until one of Keiko's other friends spoke up that there was any noise at all.
"What!? Why!?" she shouted. Yuiko stood up, walked over to the principal, and took the letter out of his hand. She opened it up and read it.
Yuiko Urameshi,
Meet me at the hospital three days from now at eight p.m. I will give you the Mirror of Forlorn Hope. No, this is not a trap. I will explain everything then.
From, Suiichi Minamino (Kurama)
Yuiko raised an eyebrow at the letter and pocketed it. "Thank you very much, sir." Yuiko replied, bowing slightly.
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"Are you crazy, Yuiko? How do you know this is not a trap?" Botan exclaimed when Yuiko told her about the letter.
"He says it isn't. And I'd really like to know why those demons Igor and Hiei think he's a demon too, and why they're calling him Kurama." Yuiko explained for the tenth time. Yuiko sipped the hot chocolate that Mrs. Urameshi had made for her and Botan. "It's driving me nuts and I have a boxing tournament I have to get ready for. It's in a year or two, but I need to be in tip-top shape! And Koenma is paying me to do this, right?"
Silence.
"Right?" Yuiko pressed, narrowing her eyes at Botan. The Grim Reaper fidgeted in her seat.
"Well, you see Yuiko, you're the only human Spirit Detective he has, so he hasn't put any thought into it. The rest of his Spirit Detectives are, well, there aren't any. There hasn't been a Spirit Detective since the old Japan days. You know, with carts pulled my oxen." Botan answered. It took Yuiko a minute to process this.
"WHAT!?" Yuiko yelled, the ground shaking. "You mean I'm supposed to do this for free!?" Botan cringed.
"Well, I'm sure we can make him pay you. I mean, you're the first Spirit Detective in thousands of years, and you are a valuable person to keep." Botan comforted. Yuiko calmed down and took another sip of hot chocolate.
"Wait, then does that mean you're not paid?" Yuiko asked. Botan nodded. Yuiko glared at her drink. "Then why are you still working for him?"
"I guess you could say I'm dead. And it gives me something to do. I've been the Grim Reaper since I was a little kid. I'm not really dead, but I was born in Spirit World, so I'm not sure what that makes me. King Yama had appointed me Grim Reaper, and since he's gone a lot, Koenma is the one who takes care of things." Botan informed. Yuiko made a thoughtful sound and drank the rest of her hot chocolate.
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Yuiko walked to the local hospital and saw Suiichi standing in front of the doors. He was still wearing his pink school uniform. Suiichi turned around and saw Yuiko. "I'm glad you could make it, Ms. Urameshi." Suiichi greeted. Yuiko shifted uncomfortably.
"Don't call me that. It makes me sound like I'm old." Yuiko commented as she walked up to him.
"Sorry, but I'm not a close friend, so I can't call you Yuiko, and just calling you Urameshi sounds disrespectful, in my opinion." Suiichi apologized. "This way." Yuiko followed Suiichi into the hospital. They went up a few floors until Suiichi walked into a room. Yuiko followed him in. In the room was a lady laying on a bed. She had black hair in a ponytail, and scars on her arms. "Hello, Mother."
"Suiichi, there you are. And who's your friend? This is the first time you've brought company." the lady said, smiling at Suiichi. Yuiko blinked.
"Mrs. Minamino?" Yuiko asked unsurely. The woman nodded. Suiichi walked up to his mother's bedside.
"Would you like me to peel an apple for you, Mother?" Suiichi questioned.
"No thank you, Suiichi." Mrs. Minamino replied.
"But the doctor said for you to keep up your strength." Suiichi retorted. Yuiko just stood in the corner, out of the way. She felt slightly odd being in this scene. She shifted a little where she was standing and fidgeted with a piece of her super-short hair.
"Now, Suiichi, please tell me who your friend is." Mrs. Minamino insisted. Yuiko bit her lip gently.
"I'm Yuiko Urameshi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Minamino." Yuiko introduced herself, still feeling awkward. It was a while before Suiichi and Yuiko felt the room. When they did, Suiichi motioned Yuiko to follow him again. It was silence all the way to where they were going. When they stopped walking, they were on the roof of the hospital. "I don't understand." Yuiko announced, staring at the back of Suiichi's head. "Why did you bring me here to see your mother? What does she have to do with you giving me the Mirror of Forlorn Hope? In fact, what does she have to do with you hanging out and working with two demons that are hungry for people's souls!?"
"Everything." Suiichi answered. Yuiko raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Explain." Yuiko said, her arms crossed. Suiichi didn't turn around to face her. Suiichi took a deep breath and began.
"I'm not Suiichi Minamino. I am Youko Kurama, expert thief, fox demon. I now this must confuse you. Years ago, I was being hunted down and I took refuge in this world of humans. I took refuge in the body of an infant not yet born. The real Suiichi Minamino, but there is no real Suiichi Minamino because I put my spirit into that body before another spirit could inhabit it. It was an empty shell at the time. I was then reborn by the woman you met down in the hospital room.
"Do you know why there are scars on her arms?" Yuiko shook her head, even though she knew he couldn't see it. She knew that Suiichi, pardon, Kurama knew that she didn't know. "That happened when I was six. I needed to get something for a school project, and I insisted I didn't need any help getting it. It was on a high shelf along with china plates. Right when I was about to grab it, my balance on the stool I was on began to waver, and I began to topple over. I tried to grab onto the shelf, but all I succeeded in doing was causing the china plates to fall. My mother ran to help me, but she tripped and fell. Right into the mess of broken china." Kurama stopped for a moment and Yuiko realized she was holding her breath. She let it out and told Kurama to continue. "When I finally fell onto the floor, I realized what had happened and asked if she was alright. She said everything was just fine, even though her arms were bleeding badly. Every time I see those scars, the painful reminder that it was my fault hits me full blow. Later, my father died, and Mother got very sick. The sickness turned out to be an aftermath of the incident with the broken china. That's why she's here in the hospital.
"Then I met Hiei. He was looking for someone to help him and Igor steal the items that you were sent to recover. It was what the Mirror of Forlorn Hope does that got me interested. I made an alliance with them and helped them steal the Spirit Orb, the Shadow Sword, and the Mirror. Do you know what that Mirror of Forlorn Hope does?"
"No." Yuiko answered.
"It grants wishes to anyone when the moon is full, but at a price." Kurama explained. Yuiko looked up at the sky, as if my instinct, and saw that the moon was full that night. Yuiko looked back at Kurama.
"And that price is?" Yuiko asked. Kurama turned around to look at Yuiko. Tear stains were on his cheeks, probably from having to relive the bad memories. His voice was calm and dead when he replied.
"The wish-maker's life." Yuiko stared at Kurama, the moonlight reflected in her eyes. The cold wind made itself known by whooshing and sending a chill down the girl's spine. "Imagine. A person can wish for whatever they want, but if it is a selfish wish like wanting to be the richest man alive, they wouldn't be able to enjoy it."
"But - but why do you want to use the Mirror of Forlorn Hope? What does it have to do with your mother?"
"Her sickness is fatal. If it gets a hold of her, she will die. I'm going to use the Mirror of Forlorn Hope to make her better." Kurama took the mirror out of his jacket and showed it to Yuiko. "When I'm done, you can take it to Prince Koenma."
"You can't do that." Yuiko stated. Kurama didn't reply. He put the Mirror of Forlorn Hope on the ground and knelt down next to it. A voice erupted from it.
"What is it that you wish?" boomed the voice from the Mirror.
"I wish for my mother to be better." Kurama answered.
"Your wish shall be granted." the voice boomed again. A green light began to flow out of the Mirror of Forlorn Hope.
"Wait!" Yuiko cried, running over and skirting to a halt, dropping to her knees. "Don't take his life! Take mine!"
"Are you insane?" Kurama asked.
"Look, I know what it's like to see a mother grieving over her kid! And I'm not seeing it again! By that story you told me, your mother loves you very much, and she wouldn't want you dead! Trust me!" Yuiko and Kurama stared at each other for a minute before the green light engulfed the entire area.
When Yuiko was able to see again, she realized she was lying on her back, alive. She sat up and looked over to her right to see Kurama lying on his backside as well. He made a groan and sat up as well. He blinked for a few minutes and they both looked over at the mirror.
"By your selflessness, miss, I have made the wish, and allowed you both to keep your lives." boomed the voice. Yuiko smiled at Kurama and he smiled back.
"Ah, go see your mother and give her the good news." Yuiko said, nudging Kurama in the arm. Kurama chuckled, got up, and ran over to the door to the stairs. Yuiko watched him go. He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder.
"Thanks, Yuiko!" Kurama exclaimed over his shoulder and left. Yuiko grinned and picked up the Mirror of Forlorn Hope. Now that it hadn't been about to take a life, it didn't look all that bad.