A Shift in Dimension

Chapter 3: Unauthorized Portal

When they arrived at the top of the stairs, Keiko tapped her newly wedded husband on the shoulders, asking to be put down. It wasn't like this was a common occurrence but, for some reason, her romantically-constipated fiancé-turned-husband had volunteered to carry her on his back up the steps. Keiko had stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds, waiting for a, "Just kidding! Climb on your own. You don't have those legs for nothing, right?" but after a while, he had gotten irritated and hauled her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. That was when she had protested, then conceded to being carried. She didn't know what had gotten into him but she wouldn't complain now. He wasn't even out of breath.

Yusuke crouched; she put her feet back on the ground and waited for the others to catch up. Genkai had arrived earlier than them, of course. That old lady was still mobile even in her old age-truly the master of the Spirit Wave.

She and her husband's arrival were followed by Kuwabara, who was also carrying his wife on his back. Botan, floating on her oar, arrived next, followed by Kurama, with not a single strand of hair out of place. How enviable.

Genkai was already inside the temple; the rest of them followed suit. They saw Hiei sitting at the table with a cup of tea in hand. He looked up briefly to acknowledge his former team and Yusuke answered him with an exuberant grin, walking towards the silent demon and putting an arm around his shoulder.

"Hiei! My man! How is it goin', buddy?" He greeted enthusiastically as he grinned so widely Keiko could see his gums. The brunette sighed. She was used to this. Her husband became too excited when meeting up with his former team.

"Hn, fine. Congratulations on your marriage," Hiei said monotonously and nodded briefly at her, which surprised her a little; and, seeing the look that Yusuke was giving the fire demon, Keiko knew that she wasn't the only one.

"Hn, the old woman informed me when she arrived," the short demon deadpanned as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. Yusuke ended up slapping the red-eyed demon on the shoulder, grinning while she smiled and thanked him politely.

"Gee, thanks, Hiei! Kuwabara and I are both married–next it'll be you or Kurama," Yusuke teased the fire demon with a wink, and Hiei retaliated with an annoyed glare. The half-demon laughed at his friend before giving a Cheshire grin.

"Sooo, how are things with Mukuro?" Yusuke said as he wiggled his eyebrow suggestively.

Hiei glared at him. "Mind your own business, detective, or I'll cut off your tongue," he spat at the former detective. The half-demon laughed heartily and slapped the fire demon's shoulder.

"Okay, I get it!" Yusuke said and grinned at the irked demon. Hiei grunted and crossed his arms.

Keiko shook her head at her husband's antics and sat on the opposite end of the table.

"You're early, Hiei. How is Makai?" Kurama asked with a small smile as he sat beside the fire demon.

"Hn. The same." was the short answer the redhead got. Yusuke and Kurama stared at each other and the former shrugged before the two snickered. Hiei snorted and proceeded to ignore them.

"Oh, hey Hiei, you're here already," Kuwabara greeted and he grinned at the demon, which garnered a heated glare in return. He deflated and a look of confusion crossed his face.

"I really don't understand where all his hate comes from," Kuwabara grumbled. Kurama and Yusuke chuckled as their eyes sparkled and glinted knowingly.

The others proceeded to situate themselves on either side of the table and Hiei moved to the corner of the room to make space. He sat with one knee propped up and an arm placed on top of it.

"Hey guys, I'll just go get Koenma so we can start the meeting," Botan said and the others nodded in understanding. Her oar materialized in her hand and she flew out of the temple to Reikai.

Sometime later, Koenma and Botan arrived and the atmosphere in the room changed drastically. The agitated energy of the six people gathered around the table caused the very air inside the temple to thicken with tension. This wasn't a normal occurrence since the peace among the three worlds was established five years ago. However, the current situation was grave enough that, once again, Yusuke and his former team were gathered inside Genkai's temple.

The mid-afternoon sun was shining brightly. The birds outside flew away the moment the whole team was complete. The wind wasn't dancing as calmly as before and the temple seemed far more deserted than it normally was. A telltale sign of an omen.

Keiko's eyes darted to each person in the room, regarding them nervously. She fidgeted in her seat and gnawed on her lower lip as she felt her heart's frantic beating. She knew that there was something going on in Makai because Yusuke had looked apprehensive and distracted for the past week and had been visiting his territory more than usual. Keiko knew without a doubt that this case was also related to Makai, which clouded her with anxiety. She had hoped that it wasn't the case and had pushed the thoughts away. She didn't want Yusuke to go on another suicide mission for humanity. But she knew those looks when she saw them. Yusuke was worried about his loved ones and he was worried enough that he was afraid that she would disappear from him.

She was really curious as to what this was all about.

What was more intriguing was the presence of some of the attendees. She, Yukina, and Shizuru did not usually take part in meetings such as these, especially when the topics were about demons, spirits, and human psychic affairs. She stared at the familiar faces of the people in the room, all of whom had become an important part of her life because of Yusuke.

At the corner of her eye, Botan sat in uncharacteristic silence. Her eyes roamed around the room while her hands clutched a fistful of her kimono on her lap, anxiously fiddling with the fabric.

Sitting beside Botan was Kurama. The fox in his human form had a grim expression on his handsome face. He was usually the calmest of them all, with a calculating look hidden underneath his calm exterior that made him extremely intimidating to people outside their group.

Kazuma Kuwabara sat opposite Keiko, reflecting the seriousness she saw in her husband's face. Beside him sat Yukina, quiet, eyes shifting from her husband to the other people occupying the temple.

To Kuwabara's left was the prince of Reikai in his teenage form, Koenma, with a solemn expression. He was tapping a finger on the table with a slow beat as his eyes scanned over the reports in his hand. His brow creased in worry. Beside him was Shizuru – surprisingly, without a cigarette between her fingers. She wore a facade of boredom as she assessed the situation silently; a slight downturn of her lips indicated her displeasure.

And at the head of the table sat Genkai, looking like a moderator with her usual deadpan look. She held a cup of tea between her wrinkled hands, sipping it from time to time.

Keiko glanced towards the fire demon in the corner. He was brooding in the corner as usual, though she noticed that his body was frigid and his eyes were colder than normal. Hiei had long since adjusted to their presence and was usually relaxed around them. But now, he seemed to be in deep thought and was bothered by something – based on the slight downturn of his lower lip.

Keiko's eyes returned to her husband who was unusually silent, clenching his fist as he seemed to stare through the people at the table. Finally, Koenma put down the papers in his hand and cleared his throat once to get their attention.

When he was sure that everyone was listening, he spoke. "As most of you know, a disturbance in Makai has recently caught our attention." He paused for a moment as if collecting his thoughts. Casting his eyes towards Yusuke, he addressed him. "Yusuke, have you discovered anything in Tourin?"

Everyone's attention was focused on Yusuke. A frown pinched his face before he answered. "It was subtle, but I sensed a strange kind of energy spiking in the south of Tourin. We investigated it but found nothing. Then, suddenly, demons of different species have started disappearing in my territory," He paused, brow furrowing in distaste.

"We didn't even realize it until the number of the missing shot up like crazy. Honestly, it creeps me out to see so many names of missing demons. I ordered the monks to conduct a search operation and find clues immediately. Still, the investigation turned up nothing," Yusuke huffed and crossed his arms as he glared at the wooden surface of the table.

"I feel like I'm being played. It's stupid. We don't even know if they're dead or alive. There hasn't been a clue on where the hell they all disappeared to. They've just vanished off the face of the earth. Like they hadn't existed at all. How fucking crazy is that? Whichever shitty bastards are behind this, they're smart. They covered their tracks real well. The only clue the victims even existed are their families, friends and their file records in the archives," Yusuke said in agitation.

The room was quiet for a few seconds as everyone digested the terrifying news.

"The same thing happened in Gandara," Kurama said, breaking the silence that fell upon the room. "Yomi contacted me a month ago, asking for my aid regarding the strange spikes of energy on the north side of his territory." He propped his elbows on the table and laced his fingers in front of him, emerald eyes gleaming gravely.

"I immediately answered the call and went to investigate. I found no clue about the origin of the spikes. It's almost like the spikes hadn't really appeared, and that the demons who felt it was only hallucinating." There was a crease on the redhead's forehead as he reminisced about that day. Kurama felt incredulous just hearing his own explanation.

"But, since the number of witnesses was too many to disregard, their existence was impossible to deny. One week after the first energy spike, another flash of unidentified energy was felt, and then again until its appearance became continuous." He paused, eyes roaming around the group, watching their varying reactions.

"The spikes don't appear to have a pattern. They appear randomly then disappear instantly. We still don't know what or who was causing those spikes of energy, but… the amount of power we felt in those flashes was disturbing. I only felt it thrice, but I know for a fact that I have never encountered something as thick and powerful as that." Kurama closed his eyes for a brief moment before he opened them again and continued his story.

"And then the disappearances happened. Out of nowhere, demons of different species started vanishing without a trace. It was a small number at first. One demon, then two demons, until the number increased to over a hundred."

Yukina and Botan gasped. Keiko's body turned cold.

'Why do I feel like it will only get worse from here?' The brunette thought, biting her bottom lip.

"Just like the foreign energy that we felt before, the disappearances have no patterns and leave no clue in their wake. After two months of restless investigation, we finally found a lead," Kurama said.

Everyone's attention was solely on him. Even Yusuke perked up a bit at the small bit of good news that they heard.

"What is it?" Kuwabara asked, leaning forward a bit eagerly.

"It's not easy to find any tracks of the perpetrator even if you traced the smell of the missing demons and follow their tracks. When I did find something, it was almost impossible to believe. While I was tracking the kidnapped demons' smell, there wasn't any lingering scent of the kidnapper; only one from the demon that disappeared. But, right where the tracks end, I managed to catch a whiff of something else that stayed in the air aside from the actual track that we're following, and… it's bizarre. It was so impossible that I even questioned my own sense of smell because of it," Kurama said, taking a deep breath as his thoughts ran a mile.

"Why, Kurama? You're a fucking fox demon! It's impossible to trick your nose! What the hell did you smell?" Yusuke asked with a frown.

Kurama stayed quiet, contemplating what to say. His eyes shifted to the corner of the room and everyone followed his gaze. Hiei stared blankly at them for a second before grunting.

"Hn, there were traces of humans hovering in the air," Hiei said in a monotone voice.

"What?" Everyone chorused in disbelief as Yusuke screamed much more colorful language to express his surprise.

Hiei shifted his body to look at them directly before he explained.

"We have encountered the same problem in the west part of Alaric. Mukuro wasn't happy and ordered me to do the investigation myself. As much as I hate being ordered around, what I hate more are mysteries that even my Jagan eye can't decipher." Hiei moved to sit with his legs crossed and arms folded.

"When I put my mind to something, I don't do it halfway. Even with how thoroughly I searched for the perpetrator's whereabouts, I still ended up with the same information as Kurama and the detective, despite overusing my Jagan eye for more than two months," the fire demon said. The corner of his lower lip turned down in distaste.

With that said, the tension thickened even more. The gravity of the situation was finally known to every occupant of the room. Never before had they come across a problem that they hadn't been able to solve. It was like they were constantly hitting a brick wall. It was frustrating. The thing about hopelessness is that it had a way of sinking into the soul and slowly suffocating it. The lives of these demons, who they were responsible for, depended on them, and yet they were letting them down.

If Kurama, who was a genius in deciphering mysteries, and Hiei, who had an all-seeing eye on his forehead, couldn't find anything about the perpetrators, then what more could they do? As far as all of them knew, nothing could escape the fire demon's eye.

Even Reikai didn't know what was going on.

Keiko frowned, 'So this is the reason for Yusuke's distress. But why do I feel like there's more?' Her gut was telling her that something big was happening behind the scenes and they were all clueless. 'How worrying,' she thought to herself as she clutched her hand on her chest.

"B-but how can that be possible!? Ordinary humans cannot stand the air in Makai, let alone go deeply into any territory without alerting the higher-ups. As far as we know, the only places in Makai that humans can go easily without alerting anyone are the borders, whether they're powerful psychics or not. So how can humans go that far into Makai and do this under our noses?" Botan burst out, disbelief was written on her face.

"That's what's so frustrating. We don't know," Kurama answered solemnly. "I tried everything I could think of to identify the smell and to look for tracks, but there's nothing to trace. The scent lingered on a single spot as if the culprit hadn't moved from where he stood and just vanished completely, like-"

"Entering a portal? Teleporting?" Genkai finished for Kurama, eyes narrowed.

"...But I'm sure that every portal towards Ningenkai has been sealed off, and how would teleportation become possible for humans? That's nonsense!" Koenma exclaimed.

"We've already investigated all of those ending trails, looked at every passage from Makai to Ningenkai, and all of those supposed portals didn't have any connections or entrances to Ningenkai," Koenma countered, a deep frown on his face.

"Still, the number of missing demons is increasing day by day. And, as of a few weeks ago, I found out that twelve powerful psychics and three ordinary humans have been reported missing," Genkai told them in a calm but serious manner.

"For months, the disappearances only happened in Makai. And then, suddenly, humans were reported missing. If these are all psychics who are special humans, then that would not be much of a surprise, but since even ordinary humans are disappearing then It can only mean one thing: whoever is responsible for all the disappearances in Makai..." Kurama trailed off, faltering in his words as if he couldn't believe the result of the investigation.

"Are coming... They are coming to Ningenkai now – and they aren't just looking for spiritually adept humans," Kuwabara finished with a look of horrified realization.

"Damn it!" Yusuke hissed through gritted teeth, anger erupting through his system.

There were a lot of important people living in Ningenkai. Like Kurama's human mother, stepbrother and stepfather, Keiko's family, Yusuke's mother, and – Keiko. They didn't want to think of what would happen if one of them lost a loved one because of this unknown threat.

"It's like somebody is playing with us – " Yusuke was interrupted by a flash of darkness appearing in the ceiling of Genkai's temple.

"What the fuck?!" Yusuke cursed loudly.

Before Keiko knew it, an arm was encircled around her waist and she was lifted from the tatami mat she was sitting on. Her face was pushed against Yusuke's chest, his hand securing her head and a strong arm wrapping protectively around her waist. She looked around; everyone had jumped away from the table. Kuwabara was shielding Yukina while Hiei was standing beside him. Kurama and Genkai stood in front of Botan, Shizuru, and Koenma. Everyone's attention was focused on the ceiling, their muscles tensed and ready to attack.

Keiko's heart was in her throat. She slowly looked up towards the ceiling, afraid to do so but she couldn't help her curiosity. What she saw there caused her to grab onto Yusuke's shirt tightly as if her life was depending on it.

"Y-Yusuke!" she shrieked, her voice laced with fear.

Yusuke tightened his hold around his wife, a sweat of trepidation was dripping down his face, and his eyes were glaring straight at the ceiling. A snarl came from his lips, waiting for something to happen.

If the former detective still had his human heart, it would, without a doubt, be beating erratically inside his chest. Even though he was one of the most powerful beings living on earth, he couldn't deny the fact that they still didn't have enough information about who they were dealing with. In his years of adventure, one of the most important things that he learned was not to engage in any kind of situation without having enough information.

Yusuke had matured greatly over the years and had become aware of the people who he held dearly and prioritized in life. Most of those people were present in this room where an unknown portal suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and he hadn't had a clue of who or what they were dealing with right now.

Yusuke Urameshi was frightened.

Not for his life, but for the lives of his most important people. He couldn't afford to lose any of them.

Over the ceiling, a pool of black glowed with powerful energy and was slowly expanding in size. A blinding light spilled from it, devouring the whole temple before vanishing completely, leaving an endless hole.

"It's a portal!" Kurama yelled, alerting all the fighters in the group. Before anyone could move, however, a feminine screech echoed from the portal, followed by a snarl. Then, a boy about the same height as Yusuke tumbled from the portal, with another figure close on his heels. A girl who was probably the same height as Yukina came crashing down with a high-pitched scream. The two fell onto the floor ungracefully with a resounding 'oof!' and 'ouch!', limbs entangled as they lay disoriented on the floor.

Yusuke moved, ready to confront the two intruders. His face had contorted into a menacing scowl. He opened his mouth to demand answers but, before he could, another body fell from the portal with a painful thud on Genkai's table. There was a grunt of pain and then silence.

All the occupants of the room gawked, flabbergasted at the girl sprawled on the table, and bathed in her own blood. The red liquid oozed from her body, engulfing the room in a metallic scent. Her long, dark grey hair and half of her face was soaked. Her heavy breathing echoed throughout the area as her body twitched.

No one moved. It was so quiet you could probably hear a pin drop on the floor.

Slowly, the bloody girl cracked open her eyes, revealing a dark shade of blue, the color of deep waters. They narrowed in a pained grimace. With enormous effort on her part, she slowly lifted a shaky hand towards the portal. Her blurry eyes were fighting the urge to sleep but she was determined to finish the task at hand. Before anyone could move, she successfully clenched her fist, making the portal disappear like a popped bubble. Her hand then dropped limply on the table, eyes closing in a dreamless sleep as she succumbed gladly to the darkness.

To be continued…

A/N: I would like to thank the awesome betas who supported this story. The people who helped fix and clean up the grammar and spellings, and the wonderful suggestions that help strengthen the plot of this story, thank you all.

Lolita-chi, Sardonic Grin, Stacy Donnely, Frost Glave, Leulo, Angel-Rias, Starryshi, SakuraSyaoranLiTRC, A.B. Flarain

SyrinxSilenus