"How long have you been an Underworld Detective, Ur—Yusuke?" Sayomi followed her charge down the mountain from Genkai's temple. Despite all that time training together, we rarely had a chance to talk. I should at least get to know him a bit.
"Hmmm not too long. This was just my third case," the boy answered. He wore the same clothes from the start of the trials with his bag slung over his shoulder.
"What were the first two like?" she asked.
"Well, I finished the first one before I even realized I was on a case," he admitted. "Some dude with horns took Kuwabara's cat, so I knocked him out and an imp crawled out of his mouth."
Sayomi's eye twitched with disgust. "And you had to fight him?"
"Wasn't much of a fight. He tried to run but I caught him and Botan took him back to the Underworld," Yusuke clarified.
"What about the second case?" She asked.
"Now that was probably my first serious case." His eyes became distant as he recalled the experience. "I had a week to recover the Three Dark Treasures from a few thieves."
"The Three Dark Treasures?!" Sayomi stopped in her tracks and stared at him in shock. "Who were the thieves?"
"Let's see…" Yusuke cupped his chin in his hand as he tried to think. "The Rapacious Orb was stolen by some ogre named Goki who used it to steal and eat the souls of kids. A guy named Kurama had the Mirror of Darkness and some punk named Hiei took the Conjuring Blade."
Sayomi raised her brow when she heard the names and resumed following him down. Weren't they at the top of the Underworld's Most Wanted list?
"I recovered the Rapacious Orb first, though it took me a couple tries," he continued. "See, I had just learned to use my Rei Gun and I'd wasted my shot on a teacher who tried to frame me for theft. I recovered my aura the next day and finished him."
"What about Kurama and Hiei?" Sayomi asked.
"Kurama was a strange one…" Yusuke mused. "The first time I confronted them, he wanted to back out of whatever pact they had."
"For his own agenda?" Sayomi guessed.
"Yeah, but the weird thing was he approached me first and said he would give it back after the full moon."
"Doesn't the mirror grant your deepest desire under the full moon? Why would you let him use it?"
"His eyes looked sad," Yusuke answered quietly. "He met me at my school and took me to the hospital to meet his mom. He was planning to sacrifice himself to save her life."
A human mother? Am I thinking of the same Kurama? Sayomi studied Yusuke's distant expression.
"What happened next?" she asked.
"I offered the mirror my life instead. I didn't want to see another mother crying over the death of her son. In the end, it granted his wish and everyone came out of it alive. Last I heard, he was reformed and eligible for probation."
"What about Hiei and the Conjuring Blade? Did he give up his treasure that easily?"
"Pfft, I wish!" Yusuke ground his teeth and scowled. "He took Keiko as ransom for the other two treasures and cut her with the sword. Botan had to keep the extra eye from opening while I had to fight the speedy runt to get the antidote in the hilt."
"Who's Keiko?" Sayomi asked curiously. She smirked when she noticed his ears turn pink.
"She's just a friend that I've known for a while," he huffed. "That's all."
Sure it is. She slipped her hands into her pockets when they reached what Yusuke had called a bus stop.
The boy glared down at her. "What's with that look?"
She shrugged and turned to look down the road. "I'm just looking for this bus you mentioned. I've never seen one before."
"Are you serious?" Yusuke's eyes widened. "What rock have you been living under?"
Sayomi stared at him with a straight face and said, "Stone pillars in a desert wasteland. I've only been here for a couple months or so."
"Geez…" He scratched his nose and looked up when he heard a low rumble. "Well, guess you'll get to find out for yourself. Just in time, too."
Sayomi stared at the long metal box on wheels. She saw several people through the windows keeping to themselves as best as they could. Humans ride around in this thing?
She followed Yusuke into the bus as he paid for both of their tickets. While he made his way to a couple empty seats in the back, the driver glared down at her dirty feet.
She arched her brow and said, "Sorry. I've never owned shoes before."
The driver rolled his eyes and waved his hand, urging her to sit down.
She quickly sat next to Yusuke and raised her cloak's hood to cover her head. What's the big deal? The bottoms of their shoes are just as dirty.
"So what were we talking about?" Yusuke asked.
"You had to fight Hiei," she reminded him.
"Oh yeah!" He snapped his fingers as he remembered. "So, Hiei was really fast, but I was still able to land a few punches on him. After that, he realized he had to take me seriously."
"What did he do?" Sayomi asked.
"He used his Evil Eye to transform," Yusuke answered. "His skin turned green and more eyes opened all over his body. He also got a lot stronger and faster. Next thing I knew, he had me bound by some aura curse so I couldn't move."
"Then how did you beat him?" she asked again.
"I'm getting to that!" Yusuke snapped.
His eyes shifted around to make sure no one was listening to them. "He tried to stab me with the sword, but Kurama showed up and took the hit at the last second. He used his blood to blind Hiei's Evil Eye and I was free to move again."
"But if he was still in that form, wasn't he still stronger and faster?"
"Oh yeah, he still beat the crap out of me!" He flashed his teeth in a grin and winked. "But then I had an idea."
Sayomi arched her brow. "What idea?"
"Well, I noticed the glint from the mirror across the floor and I figured maybe the Rei Gun was enough like light to bounce at the right angle. All I had to do was lure him to the right spot and shoot."
Sayomi's mouth hung open at the improvised tactics. So he risked his life on something he wasn't certain about and got lucky? I suppose the same thing happened with Rando, but…
"In the end, I got the treasures back in five days, but Koenma still got in trouble!" He snickered at the memory.
Sayomi bit her lip and chuckled quietly to herself. He's certainly stubborn enough and dumb luck seems to be in his favor.
As she listened to his stories, one question churned in her mind. "Have you always been able to fight demons like this?"
"Nah," Yusuke answered. "This stuff didn't start happening until after I died, but that's a long story. I'll tell you about it some other time when there's less people."
Sayomi blinked. How did he die already? What did he have to do to come back?
When they made it to the town, Sayomi stared up at the buildings with large eyes. She looked around at the swarm of people and machines that Yusuke called cars. Just a little while ago, everything was empty and quiet, but now it's crowded and noisy.
As they walked through the streets, Yusuke did his best to explain buildings and things that caught Sayomi's attention. I guess Hokushin and the old man weren't kidding about the advanced technology.
"Oh!"
"Hm?" Yusuke and Sayomi looked up when they heard a new voice.
"Yusuke!" It was a young girl with short brown hair and big brown eyes that shown with surprise and delight. She wore a long-sleeved blue shirt with a yellow scarf and matching knee-length skirt. Long white socks and brown shoes covered her feet and a rectangular brown bag dangled in her hands.
"Yo, Keiko. What's up?" Yusuke greeted her with a wide grin.
Sayomi looked back and forth between the two and arched a curious brow at the girl. Keiko... She was the friend he rescued from Hiei.
Keiko noticed her staring and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice you there." She quickly bowed to her. "I'm Keiko Yukimura."
"I'm Sayomi."
"It's nice to meet you, Sayomi. Atsuko mentioned there was another person he was studying with." She smiled and pointed at Yusuke. "Sorry if this doofus gave you a hard time."
"This doofus is standing right here." Yusuke growled in the background grinding his teeth, annoyed with Keiko's scolding already.
Keiko glared at the boy and her voice became cold as ice. "You've been gone two weeks and the only thing your mom has been able to tell me is you've been training at a mountain."
Yusuke frowned at her distress. "Keiko..."
"Do you have any idea how worried we've been about you?" Tears started forming in her eyes. "What if something happened? Again?!"
"Whoa, Keiko. Don't cry! I'm okay!" Yusuke reached out to comfort her without quite touching her.
"I'm not crying, you jerk!" She raised her hand high and smacked the boy across the face. With a huff, she turned and left him on the floor. "I left your homework with Atsuko."
Before she left, Keiko smiled and said, "It was nice meeting you, Sayomi. I hope we can be friends."
Sayomi waved at the girl before turning her gaze to Yusuke's crumpled body. "Are human girls the dominant ones here?"
Yusuke groaned as he sat up and rubbed his red cheek. "They are when their name is Keiko."
When they got to Yusuke's apartment, he introduced her to his mother, Atsuko, and hopped in the shower. When he finished, he came out wearing a white button-up shirt and green pants. Then he made a quick phone call and they left again.
Sayomi recognized Kuwabara when they met up in town. He wore pants similar to Yusuke's, only his were blue and he wore a matching blue button-up shirt. He certainly looks better than the last time I saw him.
"So your arm's okay now?" Yusuke asked as they walked around aimlessly.
"Good as new. And my muscles are in better shape than ever." Kuwabara clenched his fist and grinned. "The doctors were amazed. Guess that's what Reiki can do for ya."
He raised his fist above his head and asked, "Care for a personal demonstration?"
Yusuke laughed. "Man, wouldn't want you to get messed up again."
"So how'd your training with the Master go?" He glanced at Yusuke from head to toe. "You don't look any different."
Yusuke grimaced. "It was no picnic, let me tell you."
Sayomi smiled as she thought back to their training. He's right about that, but it was also the most fun I've had in a very long time.
"Concentrate your aura into one point." Genkai and Yusuke used a finger to balance themselves on the tip of a metal spike. "Remain in this position for 12 hours!"
"You can't be serious!" Yusuke trembled as his aura flared around the point. Meanwhile, Genkai's aura was small and controlled.
"This exercise teaches defense against Reiki attack. If you give an inch, you die." Genkai held out her palm towards Yusuke. He braced himself and reached out with his hands to act as a shield.
"Hah!" A bright flash burst from the Master's palm, breaking through Yusuke's defense and knocking the boy unconscious on his back. "We'll keep at it until you can stand against any such assault."
"…And I meditated on top of burning coals, and slept on a bed of nails." Yusuke counted everything he did on his fingers.
"Shee… Enough already." Kuwabara grimaced. "Makes me cringe just hearing about it."
"Yeah, and Sai only dealt with half of that stuff." Yusuke glanced over at the demoness. "The old hag had her doing some other crazy stuff, too."
Kuwabara looked down at the girl next to Yusuke. He tried to remember her, but his memory was fuzzy after Yusuke's victory. "What were you doing with Master Genkai, anyway?"
"I wonder..." Sayomi stared up at the clouds as they drifted across the sky.
Kuwabara grumbled to himself as she ignored his question. "You're lucky you're a girl…"
"Still, I learned some cool stuff," Yusuke said, drawing Kuwabara's attention again.
"Anything you can show me?" he asked.
"Only if you're volunteering to be the test dummy," Sayomi said.
"Hey…" Yusuke muttered.
"Hm?" Kuwabara and Sayomi looked at him curiously.
He glanced behind him and said, "We're being followed."
Sayomi and Kuwabara followed his gaze and saw five teenage boys in matching uniforms. She narrowed her eyes. They're not even trying to hide it.
"Never seen 'em before," Yusuke observed. "Wanna take 'em on?".
Kuwabara shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, I got nothin' better to do. Might be fun."
"Hopefully you won't end up crippled again. Master Genkai isn't with us this time," Sayomi teased.
"Watch it, girlie." Kuwabara narrowed his eyes at her. "That was only because that guy wasn't human like these punks are."
Once they found an isolated spot at a construction site, Sayomi and the boys turned to face their stalkers. She took note of their pale skin and vacant expressions. Something's not right here.
"You guys know who yer comin' up against?" He jerked his thumb at his chest and gave a smug grin. "I'm Kuwabara, the big muscle at Sara Jr. High."
Yusuke scoffed with a Cheshire's smirk. "Yeah, you wish."
Sayomi crossed her arms under her cloak and sighed. Does this mean I have to watch out for him too?
Sayomi and the boys gasped when the thugs pulled out small pocket knives. She reached for her weapon and let the chain spill free into a steady spin.
Kuwabara broke into a nervous sweat. "Aw, man, they're whacked out! They're pullin' shivs already!"
"Kuh-kuh-kill!" The humans drooled at the mouth and their eyes focused on nothing before they lunged forward to attack. "Kill, kill, kill, kill, killlllsssssggraarrr! Graaugh!"
"Yikes!" Kuwabara and Yusuke weaved out of the path of the blade.
Sayomi threw her chain around the crazed teen's arm and pulled him down to the ground. She stepped back with the boys as the teens started encroaching on them.
"Grarr rrarrr."
"Die, die."
"Huh!" Kuwabara yelped.
"Cripes! Never seen a bunch of guys this out of it!" Yusuke clenched his teeth as the ring of zombie-like humans growled and snickered.
"Grrrr."
"Hee hee hee."
Sayomi shuddered at their crazed expressions. "Are they still human?"
"Die, die, die!" The teens charged with their knives raised to kill.
"Can't mess around, then," Yusuke muttered as he squatted into a stance. He held his hand in a clenched fist and braced his arm with his other hand.
"Yeow!" Kuwabara stared at Yusuke in shock. "His fist's glowing!"
Sayomi grabbed Kuwabara's sleeve and pulled him out of the way. "Better stay out of range. Not even you could swing at this attack."
"I'll put ya down easy!" Yusuke pulled back his charged fist and punched at the five teens. "Raah!"
A barrage of aura bullets shot out from his fist and knocked them all out on their backs.
"Wow!" Kuwabara gasped, impressed by the move. "You mowed 'em down without laying a hand on 'em! Like you had a machine gun!"
"Just basic Reiki technique." Yusuke let the aura fade from his fist as he watched for any surprise attacks.
"He literally just nailed it yesterday," Sayomi explained. "That's why he was able to come back today."
Yusuke glared down at her and clenched his fist tighter. "Shut up, Sai! It's not as easy as it looks!"
"I didn't say it wasn't easy." She clasped her hands behind her head and smiled. "It's still more than you were able to do before."
Yusuke's glare faltered at the unexpected praise. "Uh... Thank you?" He returned his attention to the unconscious students. "So who are these jokers?"
"No idea…" Kuwabara looked down at the unconscious teens when he froze. "Wait a sec!"
Yusuke and Sayomi waited as Kuwabara started to look around. "I sense a weird aura, not no-how human…"
When he spotted a stranger lurking behind the corner, he pointed at him and shouted, "Over there! That guy! Freeze, buster!"
"Urk." The stranger turned to run. "Feh!"
They were about to chase after him until he came flying back around the corner. "Uck!"
"Hah! Hit a perfect grounder that time."
"Botan!" Yusuke exclaimed.
Kuwabara watched the blue-haired girl walk around the corner with admiration and a hint of fear in his eyes. She wore a sleeveless white shirt tucked into blue jeans and white shoes. She carried a metal baseball bat that now had a large dent in it.
Sayomi looked down at the unconscious gray-skinned demon. I should draw as little attention as possible so she won't come after me like this.
"You know this weirdo?" Yusuke asked.
"Yep." Botan answered easily. "He's a resident of Demon City. Which, as it happens, is the subject of your new mission."
Yusuke blinked. "Demon City?"
"It's a haven for Otherworld outlaws," she answered. "A group of demons known as 'The Four Beasts' founded a criminal organization that hid out there. Soon other fugitive felons fled to it, turning it into an impenetrable city of criminals. They're now issuing demands to the Underworld."
"Demands? Such as…?" Yusuke urged.
"Access to the Human World!" Botan clarified urgently.
Yusuke and Kuwabara froze in dread while Sayomi arched a brow.
"The Underworld set up a force field between Demon City and the Human World to prevent such access. But demons want it taken down," Botan continued.
Yusuke crossed his arms and snarled, "Who cares what they want? Ignore 'em!"
"It's not that simple. See that guy who attacked you?" Botan pointed at one of the unconscious students.
"Hm?" Yusuke looked at the thugs and nearly lost his lunch.
Demonic insects crawled from the boys' mouths and started to glow green.
"Bleah!" Yusuke cringed at the sight. "That creepo bug crawled out of his mouth…"
Sayomi narrowed her eyes and crouched next to the boys to catch the bugs before they expanded their wings. Kuwabara turned green as she squeezed the insects, dropped them to the ground and smeared them with her foot.
"It's a roundworm monster- a parasite drawn to dank, gloomy souls." Botan explained. "The people they infest are driven to violence, destruction, and murder. The Four Beasts released thousands of them into this city."
"What?!" Yusuke turned to her in a panic. "We've gotta warn everyone!"
"Pointless, I'm afraid." Botan raised a finger and said, "Normal people can't see the worms and those infested just seem psycho. The only course is to exterminate the worms! And that means destroying the Enabling Whistle."
"A… whistle?" Yusuke asked.
"Yes." Botan nodded. "Normally the worms can't survive in the Human World, but this whistle enables them to do so. The Four Beasts say they'll hand over the whistle if we take down the force field, but that's out of the question."
"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked.
"If unleashed, the demons could kill everyone here in a day!" Botan stressed.
Yusuke narrowed his eyes into a glare. "Okay, then the only way is to…"
"Exactly!" Botan grinned nervously. "We must take the whistle and destroy it!"
Yusuke glared and pointed at himself angrily. "'We' meaning me, right? I have to jump into that nest of demon vermin by myself?!"
Sayomi considered his chances. He nearly died in his fight with Rando. If Yusuke has to fight all four beasts alone, he won't stand a chance.
Kuwabara crossed his arms and asked, "So what am I, snake spit?"
"Huh?" Botan blinked at the teen who pointed at himself. Then she jumped back and raised her hands in the air with an exaggerated laugh. "Ohmigod! Kuwabara, you were listening?!"
"Like I could help it?" Kuwabara stared at them with cool eyes and said, "Anyway, I can see these worms, too, so I figure I'm in this. We grab this whistle thing, or this town will wind up crawlin' with crazed dudes, right?"
"I'm coming, too," Sayomi declared from behind the boys. "You're gonna need a healer if you're going to Demon City. I may not be much help in a fight yet, but I can at least keep you from dying."
Yusuke scratched his nose and smiled. "Damn, I forgot you were here, too. You're too quiet, Sai."
Sayomi slipped her hands into her pockets and shrugged. "Stealth is a natural specialty of mine."
Yusuke smirked and ruffled her hair. "Kuwabara's gonna need your services, no doubt."
"What's that supposed to mean, punk?" Kuwabara stepped into Yusuke's face and glared down at him.
Yusuke glared back and said, "Exactly what it sounds like, Dum-dum!"
Botan sighed as they scuffled with each other. "I hope you can take care of them."
Sayomi laughed as she watched the boys. "I'll do my best, but I can't cure stubbornness"
Botan smiled down at her and said, "I think I like you, Sayomi. We'll have to have a proper introduction over a cup of tea when you get back."
Sayomi glanced at the reaper nervously. "That doesn't sound too bad, I guess."
After they broke up the fight, Yusuke rushed home to grab his green uniform jacket. Then they met Botan and she sent them on their way through an improvised portal from the Underworld. It took a couple hours before Sayomi and the boys found the castle.
"So that's their hideout," Yusuke mused.
From a low branch of a mossy tree, Sayomi and the boys spotted a stone castle in the distance. It had a couple towers with several stairs and chambers weaving around and through the walls. She scowled as she noticed Demon City at the base of the castle.
"You sure you wanna come?" Yusuke asked as he jumped down from the tree and led the way. "You may not get away with just a few broken bones this time and I don't think Sai can revive the dead."
"I'm not leaving it up to you to save our town and protect Sayomi," Kuwabara argued, jumping down after him. "She needs a real man to protect her."
"I can protect myself just fine, thanks." Sayomi jumped down with them and ignored the muddy grass that squelched under her feet. "Although, I would hate to explain your injuries to Keiko if you get hurt, Yusuke."
The boy's eye twitched and Kuwabara guffawed at his expense. He was about to retort when they all heard a high-pitched cackle.
"Hee hee hee."
Sayomi and the boys quickly huddled back-to-back-to-back as short demons in cloaks surrounded them. They reached out with their claws and bared their jagged teeth in wicked smiles.
"Fragrant."
"Humans. Hee hee. Fragrant humans."
Sayomi clicked her tongue and said, "Looks like we ran into the lowest imps on the food chain."
"What the hell are they?" Yusuke asked.
Sayomi reached for the sickle behind her back. "They're known as Gutter Imps because they usually only get to eat whatever rotting meat they can find. Human flesh just happens to be a special treat for them."
"Are you for real?!" Kuwabara looked down at Sayomi with disgust.
"A feast! A feast!"
"Hee hee hee! Let's eat!"
The imps charged all at once. Their claws scraped and tore at Sayomi's cloak while teeth gnashed at her limbs. She growled and elbowed the imp behind her before punching the one clinging to her arm.
"Scumballs!" Yusuke punched an imp that lunged at him.
"They keep coming!" Kuwabara followed his example as another one tried to take a bite.
"You kill one and two more take its place!" Sayomi cut down a pair of imps that tried to take her down at once.
"They're like ants! Too many of 'em!" Yusuke braced himself for the growing horde.
"They'll overwhelm us!" Kuwabara shouted.
"Damn it!" Sayomi growled.
"Hey! If you're having trouble with these lowlifes, how do you expect to tackle the castle?"
Sayomi and the boys turned to the new voice and gasped as the imps started dropping dead around them. Who are they?!
"Yeek!"
"Gah!"
Two cloaked figures dashed through the horde, slicing and tearing through them effortlessly. Once the immediate threat was killed, they stopped in front of Sayomi, Yusuke, and Kuwabara.
"The three of you alone wouldn't get very far anyway."
Sayomi bristled at the insult and glared at the shorter figure. Are they supposed to be allies?
They shed their cloaks and a boy with long red hair and kind green eyes smiled at them. He wore a similar outfit like Yusuke's and Kuwabara's, except his was pink with a yellow trim. He slipped his hands in his pockets and asked, "Care for some help?"
Sayomi's gray eyes became a few shades darker as they met the blood-red eyes of the one who insulted them and a shiver ran down her spine. He has the cold eyes of a killer.
The stranger was dressed in a black cloak and boots with a white shawl around his neck. White strands grew from the center of his spikey black hair and under his bangs was a white headband.
"Where'd you come from?!" Yusuke yelled in surprise.
"Who the heck…?" Kuwabara stared at the strangers warily.
"Kurama and… Hiei?!" Yusuke stared at them in disbelief. "What're you two doing here?!"
"Heh… Community service in lieu of jail time, you might say," Kurama answered. "We might even earn pardons if we help you three out."
Sayomi eyed the newcomers more suspiciously. They're the thieves from Yusuke's first big case.
"Good ol' Koenma, unpredictable as ever!" Yusuke grinned and extended his hand towards them. "Kuwabara, Sayomi, allow me to introduce Hiei and Kurama."
"Yo," Kuwabara greeted.
"Hi," Kurama politely responded.
"Hey," Sayomi said, her glare still fixed on Hiei as he spoke.
"You've got Kurama's angle, but here's mine: I'm out to snatch the treasures and weapons the Four Beasts beat me to. So don't expect any help from me, got it?"
Sayomi's eyes narrowed. Leave it to the killer to be in it for himself.
"Heh." Kurama smiled, earning a curious look from Yusuke.
"What's with the shrimp?" Kuwabara shoved his hands into his pockets and stood tall. "He's coppin' a pretty high and mighty attitude!"
Hiei ignored Sayomi to stare up at the brute with disinterest. "Does a death wish cause you to speak that way to me?"
Kuwabara stooped down to intimidate the thief up close. "You don't like it, runt? Tough toenails!"
Sayomi's eyebrow twitched at the lame insult. Was that really the best he had?
Kurama turned to his crime partner and dropped his polite smile. "Stop it, Hiei. We can squabble after this is finished."
"Yusuke," Hiei called, turning to face the boy. "I still have a score to settle with you."
"Don't forget me, short-stuff!" Kuwabara reminded him angrily.
Hiei ignored him and said, "I'll warn you once: Watch your back."
Sayomi stepped in front of the boy and said, "You'll have to go through me first."
Hiei scoffed and gestured to the corpses around them. "You're not even worth the effort. If you couldn't protect him from this filth, how do you expect to stand a chance in hell against me?"
Sayomi was about to argue when Yusuke placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Yeah, whatever. Frankly, I'll take any allies I can get."
"Hmph!" Kuwabara glared down at Hiei.
"Hmph!" Hiei grunted, unintimidated.
Kurama closed his eyes and smiled while Sayomi took in their improvised team. Can we really trust these two to help us?
"Oh pizzle, it's Hiei and Kurama," the imps whispered nervously.
"They're on the Underworld's Most Wanted list, yet they're siding with humans…?"
They scuttled out of the way as Yusuke and Kuwabara led the way to the castle. Hiei and Kurama followed behind them while Sayomi shadowed the whole group.
As they walked, Sayomi watched the thieves in front of her. Yusuke seems to believe Kurama can be trusted and so far, I see no reason to doubt his sincerity. Hiei, on the other hand…
She glared at his back and felt the shadows shift around her. She slowed her breathing and forced herself to relax. I can't let my guard down around him.
When they reached the entrance to the castle, Yusuke let out a low whistle. "That's some entrance!"
"A long, dark tunnel. Brrr." Kuwabara shivered uncomfortably.
Sayomi looked up at the entrance and sighed. The tunnel resembled the open maw of a demon with large claws and vines that crawled up the wall to gaping dark holes that looked like empty eye sockets.
She shifted her vision to the infrared spectrum and only saw the deep blues and violets from the stone. "I don't think there's anyone inside the tunnel, but watch out for traps."
Yusuke gritted his teeth and glared at the doorway. "Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained! Let's go, guys!"
As they reached the end of the tunnel, a large eyeball with bat-like wings greeted them at the door. "Welcome to Labyrinth Castle. Those who dare to enter will be tried at the Gate of Betrayal."
Sayomi felt the voice echo in her head and shivered. Damn telepathy...
"Tried?!" Yusuke and Kuwabara asked at once.
The eyeball fluttered to the far wall and used one of its dangling nerve endings to pull a lever down. There was a low rumble and the tunnel around them started to shake.
When he heard the scraping stone, Yusuke looked up and yelled, "The ceiling's dropping!"
"Unh!"
"Rarrg!"
Everyone raised their arms to stop the ceiling from crushing them. The force of the weight brought them all to one or both knees. They all focused their angry eyes on the demon who watched them suffer.
"The gate is keenly sensitive, quite smart, and very wicked," it explained. "It analyzes the strength of each person and applies the exact amount of pressure that he can tolerate. If even one of you relaxes in the slightest- Splat!"
"Garr!" Yusuke snarled through clenched teeth. "Blast you…!"
"If one of you strives to save himself by escaping, the others will be flattened. If none of you attempts a betrayal, you'll all exhaust yourselves in this futile effort and die together." The eye narrowed and chuckled with sadistic pleasure. "As you can see, only craven traitors may enter this castle. The choice is yours."
"Keeripes!" Kuwabara started to tremble and sweat furiously under the strain. "What a load 'a crap!"
"This bites!" Sayomi looked behind the fluttering demon and said, "One of us needs to get to the switch!"
"H-Hiei!"
The thief's eyes flicked to Yusuke.
"You're a lot faster than the rest of us!" He reasoned. "Run out and try to raise that lever by the eye guy!"
Sayomi snapped her attention to Yusuke in shock. What is he doing?!
"Are you outta yer mind, Urameshi?!" Kuwabara yelled. "You go! You don't wanna trust that little creep!"
Hiei smirked, despite the peril. "So Mr. Flat Face is not a complete idiot after all."
"Mr. Fla-… You talkin' 'bout me?!" Kuwabara screeched.
Sayomi bit back the smile that started to spread on her face.
Hiei ignored them and asked, "Do you really want to trust me?"
"I can support your share of the weight for a second or two if I give it all I've got. Go, Hiei!" Yusuke smirked at him. "Just don't take too long, 'kay?!"
Hiei stared at him, stunned by the gesture. Then he dashed from under the heavy ceiling to the switch behind the startled eyeball.
The ceiling rumbled as it started to drop lower. Yusuke clenched his teeth and exerted his aura to catch the extra weight. "Raaarrg!"
Hiei hesitated with his hand on the lever and turned back to watch.
Sayomi leered at him as she strained under the extra weight. Of course...
"What're you waitin' for?" Kuwabara yelled as the weight pressed down on them. "Raise the lever!"
"I knew it." Sayomi's body started to shake under the strain. "I'm sure you'll feel right at home with the rest of the filth."
Hiei glared at her and his grip tightened around the lever.
The eyeball stared down at him. "Think it over, Lord Hiei. Leave them to their fate, and I will escort you to Master Suzaku. A criminal of your caliber will be given a hearty welcome by the Four Beasts."
"Yo, shorty!" Kuwabara called, his head forced to tilt under the lowering ceiling. "You're gonna betray Urameshi's trust just like that?!"
Sayomi narrowed her eyes and felt the shadows around her start to move. "You better hope I die here because if I don't, then you'll regret it."
Hiei closed his eyes and let go of the lever. "Heh… Heh heh heh." Then he opened his eyes and smiled. "What a bunch of morons."
As the ceiling continued to push down on them, Hiei turned and shouted, "You have no idea!"
He slashed at the eyeball and left a long vertical cut.
"Yaarg!" It screeched in pain as it started to bleed out.
Hiei turned back and raised the lever.
"It stopped!" Yusuke said with relief.
As they crawled out from under the ceiling, Hiei called out to the dying eyeball. "Tell your masters I'll spare their lives if they'll submit to my will! They get one chance to beg for their lives! That's it!"
"Yeeek!" It fluttered away in agony.
As Yusuke stumbled out, Kuwabara hovered nearby to steady him. "You okay, Urameshi?"
Sayomi sighed and shook her head. She reached up to touch Yusuke's arms and focused her aura into her hands to relieve his pain. He's lucky he was able to walk away with sore muscles.
"Whoo! I'll let you know in a second! Thanks, Sai!" Yusuke ruffled her hair, then turned to Hiei with a thumbs up and a wide smile. "Good work, Hiei! Thanks!"
He clapped a hand on the thief's shoulder and said, "You sure made us sweat with that imperious act of yours! You're one supremely twisted guy, m'man."
"Hmph…" Hiei shrugged out of Yusuke's reach and pointed at him. "I didn't do it for your sake! This will go faster with backup."
"Heh..." Kurama smiled knowingly. "In his own way, he's trying to say 'you're welcome.'"
Sayomi crossed her arms and muttered, "How hard is it to say 'you're welcome?'"
As they wandered further into the castle, they noticed several doors and tunnels lining the halls. Sayomi eyed them with suspicion, but she kept Hiei in her peripheral at all times.
"I see why this place is called Labyrinth Castle," Yusuke muttered.
"Find some stairs that'll take us up," Kuwabara suggested. "Big bosses like to hang out on top floors."
A sudden buzz went off in Yusuke's pocket, followed by static and a muffled voice. "Yusuke, it's Botan! All's quiet here in the Human World so far."
"Check!" Yusuke replied as he pulled out a small purple compact and opened it.
Botan's face filled the tiny screen as she made her report. "At this point I've managed to nail fifteen roundworm monsters."
"Fifteen out of thousands…" Yusuke sighed. "A drop in the bucket. We gotta hurry and snatch that whistle."
"Listen, these parasites only seek out and subsume sinister souls and there don't appear to be many like that around. Maybe there's more hope for humanity than I thought." There was the sound of a stomp from Botan's end. "Ah! Got another one. But this may just be the calm before the storm. So I agree- Hurry!"
Yusuke put the compact away and said, "Okay… The city's safe for now. Let's move."
As they resumed their trek through the castle, Yusuke turned and asked, "What do you know about these Four Beasts, Kurama? I mean, I have no idea what we're about to face."
Kurama glanced at him and answered, "Well, as you may have gathered from special measures the Underworld took to restrict them, they're very dangerous. And they don't look at all human, so brace yourself for that."
"Such high praise. I blush."
They all froze at a set of doors as a deep, gravelly voice spoke from within. Yusuke and Kuwabara steeled themselves and slammed them open. "This is one of them?!"
"Heh… Indeed it is. Welcome. I, Genbu, will take goood care of you."
Genbu was a large demon with long limbs and what looked like a shell for his body. Both his head and shell were spiked and a long tail swayed behind him. He was made entirely of stone.
"Shee! Big sucker…!" Kuwabara took a step back.
"Behind me is the one staircase in the castle that leads up. Defeat me, and gain the stairs… or die." Genbu cracked his tail like a whip, making a small crater in the stone floor behind him. "Come at me all at once. It'll save time… for me, anyway."
"He looks like a giant turtle. Let's push him on his back and run past him," Sayomi suggested.
"Y-you've gotta be yankin' me!" Kuwabara wailed. "How d'ya fight a real live monster?!"
Sayomi arched a brow at him. "Didn't you fight against Rando?"
"I'll give it a whirl."
"Kurama!" Yusuke looked at him in surprise.
The red-head stepped forward and smiled with his hands in his pockets. "Let's see how he handles one of us before we commit to a joint attack." He glanced at Hiei and his smile became mischievous. "I can't let Hiei have all the fun and take all the bows!"
"Feh! Who cares?" Hiei scoffed and turned away.
Sayomi watched them curiously. What's that supposed to mean?
"So it's one at a time, eh? Come on, then," Genbu taunted.
"Look, maybe we could sneak around him…" Yusuke urged frantically.
"Relax. Kurama may surprise you," Hiei said. "Fact is, I teamed up with him because that's a lot smarter than going against him. Threaten him, and he gets vicious in ways even I don't like to think about."
"Are you speaking from experience?" Sayomi asked.
"I've seen him in action," Hiei answered vaguely.
Kurama walked to the center of the chamber and faced Genbu. "Whenever you're ready." The demon just stared at him in silence. "… All right, I'll make the first move."
Yusuke looked behind Genbu and gasped. "His tail's melting into the rock floor!" They watched as it emerged on the other side of the room. "And it's coming up behind Kurama!"
Kurama's eyes widened when he heard the warning and tried to dodge.
"Ha ha ha! Rock is my element! I move freely in it! It allows me to do things like… this!" Genbu thrusted his tail forward and slashed across the red-head's stomach.