Author Note: It occurs to me while I am writing this chapter that I should warn you that this will be slightly Alternate Universe. It will be taking place after the Tournament, but unless sit fits into the story, it will be diverging from there into another set of events.

Also, according to the wikia that I'm going off of, while Hiei will be 4'10'' at the beginning of this fanfiction, he will be growing so she won't be taller than him for long. It says that at the end of the series, an artbook created for the show puts him at 5'3''. I'll be showing this throughout the fanfiction as their relationship grows as well. :) Happy reading!


"Maribella is an air-water demon who works for Lord Koenma as a spirit detective. She's almost like you Kurama!" Botan was saying, with a bright and cheerful smile to cover how worried for her friend she was. "She has been an operative for the last fifteen years or so-"

"Then why is she coming here?" one of the three young men in the room asked. Botan had summoned everyone into one of the open to the outside rooms, hoping to tell them about their guest before Maribella arrived. It was for their own good. While they all might have been requested to remain in the dojo that Genkai had owned before her death at the Tournament, there hadn't been much explanation as to why. Kurama could remain living with his human mother to protect her from any danger, and the others could visit home as much as their hearts demanded, but for the most part they would be remaining in the giant dojo, each with their own separate little areas.

Currently Kuwabara, Kurama, and Yusuke were watching the blue-haired woman explain that a new demon was going to be joining them. Hiei was nowhere to be found and had not shown up when his presence was requested. Or at least no one thought he had. But the fire demon could pop in and out at a moments notice.

"Because she needs to recover and regain strength before she can return to her post in Europe," Botan explained, "Here, she'll be able to do both and impart her knowledge to you as a Spirit Detective."

"If she was so smart, then why does she need to run away to recover here?" asked a dark voice from the doorway leading inside to the rest of the living quarters of the dojo. Hiei had arrived without noise and his sudden question had Botan jumping, pink eyes wide as they slid to him.

"Because-" Botan started to say, unaware of another figure who had arrived behind all of them in the yard. Dark blue hair faded to a light teal on her head, ending just below her ears, blue-grey eyes taking in each of them as she stepped forward silently as if she walked on the air instead of the ground. A plain black tank top was underneath a red and white plaid shirt, and jeans completed her outfit, topped with a pair of worn but obviously loved black Converse. She was the picture of young teen rebellion to popular fashion, even though she was well over three hundred. No more than five feet tall, Maribella took everyone in as she stepped up onto the wooden walkway that was just outside the open sideded room.

"Because I was stupid enough to let a fire demon get the best of me." The words were raspy,as if spoken through dry shrubbery. It wasn't the most pleasant sound, but it was better than not being able to talk at all in Maribella's opinion. "I don't know how, but they did and now I need to heal. I was told this would be a good place for it."

"Maribella, you made it!" Botan exclaimed, pratically flying to her friend's side, intent to give her a hug. As she got close, Maribella instinctively tensed and flinched back, but nonetheless forced herself to accept the hug from the other woman. She hid the grimace as the hug pressed on still tender wounds and skin that was still raw from regrowing healthy skin. It would take time before the scars of the fire left, but not as long as it would take for her to get over some of the more psychological issues. "How was your trip? Any difficulty getting through the portal?"

The blue haired grim reaper gave Maribella little time to reply as she spoke. When Maribella did find a time to speak, she spoke slowly, in much contrast to Botan, voice never changing from the raspiness.

"It took longer than I thought because Tyrus insisted on stopping in the Demon Realm. He knew of a tea that supposedly helps heal burned throats," she explained, "Tasted like bile, absolutely disgusting, but at least now I can talk a little." Tyrus materialized next to her, literally, with a smug grin on his dog lips.

Oddly enough when Tyrus spoke everyone in the room could hear his telepathic explanation, At least you can talk now. All good medicine tastes like bile.

"Says the dog familiar," Maribella groaned with a roll of her eyes. She then focused on the four men in the room, taking each in in turn. They watched her with a variety of expressions. The tall red head with the most vivid green eyes she'd seen in a human watched with cool politeness, as if intrigued but willing to wait out whatever was happening to get a better idea of who and what she was. A few feet away the black haired one with rich chocolate brown eyes watched her with boredom, as if he didn't care who or what she was just so long as she didn't get in his way. Next was an orange haired guy with black eyes definitely had a look of interest but it was one of those 'that person looks familiar, where have I seen her before' type of looks. Last but not least the one who had asked why she was there, with eyes like rubies and rather gravity defying black hair with a little white star burst pattern in it, he barely deigned to give her a look at all but when it did there was a cool superiority to it, as if she were nothing more than dirt.

It was the red head who stepped forward first, offering a polite but kind smile and his hand. "Kurama," he introduced, "Welcome to the dojo." She took the hand that he offered and gave it a firm handshake. She barely reached his shoulders height wise, so she had to look up at him.

"I am Maribella of the Divonious Clan," she replied, "You are the reincarnation of the demon thief Yoko Kurama, correct? It was big news when you were captured by the new spirit detective of this area."

"That would be me," said the bored looking human as he straightened from where he'd been leaning against a wall to her right and stepped forward. "Yusuke Urameshi."

"You are taller than I thought you'd be," Maribella joked. The truth was that against anyone in this group except the spikey haired one she was small, barely reaching their chests or shoulders on any of them. And the spikey haired one was glaring at her as if he could actually tell that she was referring to him as the spikey haired one… lovely.

"And you are as short as Hiei," Yusuke said with a devilish grin, as if he was going to have a lot of fun in the future… As if he was plotting some bit of fun that Maribella probably wasn't going to like.

"Being short means nothing. Great and dangerous things come in small packages," Maribella said with a falsely cheery grin.

"Like what?" Yusuke challenged.

The cheerful grin turned deadly as she allowed a bit of her energy to channel into raising off the ground a bit until she was looking into his eyes, "Like daggers and poison's sweet boy." she warned before dropping back down. Whether that was a threat to his safety if he ever called her short again, well… that she left to his, and the other's, imagination.

"That means you must be Kazuma Kuwabara," she said, finally turning to the orange haired man who had yet to talk, which seemed strange to the rest of his friends as he rarely stayed quiet. It took a moment as she met his gaze, but then her eyes widened a little.

"You're-!" They exclaimed at the same time…