Author's Note: Hey this is my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is welcomed! Also, please note this takes place post-series, so Yusuke is 19, Kuwabara is 19, etc. Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters that belong to this series, they belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.
Chapter 1
As slow as was humanly possible, a young man huffed along to his destination; needless to say, he wasn't pleased. In fact, it would be an understatement to say he was merely displeased; he was absolutely furious. Right now he could have been sitting on the couch like a bum, but he was summoned here, of all places. Stopping, he glared up at the inhumanly gargantuan palace before him, muttering curses towards those dwelling within. He was certainly entitled to his enmity, seeing as they had attempting to have him murdered in cold blood once before. 'Hell,' he thought, 'they even went as far as disrespecting me while I was just a dead carcass; dying because I was helping THEM. What the hell do they think they're doing now, asking for my help?!' He carelessly put his hand through his black, slicked back hair, sighing. He had protested at the notion of returning, yet couldn't help but let his curiosity get the best of him.
Continuing on into the palace, he encountered a rather familiar blue-haired, purple-eyed ferry girl. "Oh, Yusuke! I'm so glad you came!" Botan exclaimed, pulling the ex-spirit detective into a forceful hug. Finally pushing her away from lack of oxygen, he couldn't help but crack a smile. It had only been a year since he had last seen her, but she had remained exactly as he remembered her. Her kimono was still that ridiculously bright pink, just as ill-suited for the 'bringer of death' as it had always been. Remembering where he was and why, his smile melted into a small frown.
"Hey Botan," Yusuke mumbled in acknowledgement. "Is baby-breath behind this 'emergency' summoning? Because if it is catching some small fry demon, you can count me out! I'm not even spirit detective anymore. In case you forgot, I was fired! Unless the world is coming to an end, then it's not my problem!" Yusuke snapped, letting his pent up anger at the Spirit World out on the innocent ferry girl. Taken aback, Botan's smile quickly faded and was replaced with a serious expression.
"Yusuke...," the ferry girl replied, in a deathly serious tone. Their eyes met, conveying the severity of the situation at hand. "We wouldn't have called you here if it was a trivial matter. You know King Enma's position on you helping the Spirit World...," she lamented. Understanding that Yusuke wouldn't lift a finger unless the circumstances were such that he had no choice, she silently beckoned for him to follow. Without another word, the ex-spirit detective followed Botan, obviously not convinced. After passing through what Yusuke deemed the "Spirit World Stock Exchange" of ogres, they reached the door to the Prince of the Spirit World's office. "Koenma, it's me Botan. He's here...," the ferry girl informed, after pressing the communication button on the door.
The doors swung open to reveal Koenma's office, papers strewn across the floor, though most densely on and around the Prince's desk. Walking forward, Yusuke noticed he wasn't alone; all his former partners were about the room, looking every bit as agitated as himself. The door slammed shut as soon as Botan had passed through. "Well, what do you know? Is this some sort of reunion party? Where's the food?" Yusuke asked dryly, sarcasm drenching his words, accentuating his irritated facial expression.
"I see you haven't changed at all, fool," muttered a familiar small dark figure. The fire demon opened his blood colored eyes to regard the former spirit detective, nodding his head slightly from his place against the wall. He leaned against the wall folding his arms; a stance that could be identified as impatience. Next to Hiei, Kurama greeted Yusuke in his usual, polite manner. His green eyes gave the impression that he knew much more than he would ever let on. He turned to face Koenma, wearing a carefully neutral face. He had always been an enigma to Yusuke; no one could quite ever know just exactly what was going on in the red-head's mind.
"Urameshi," an orange haired man greeted, a large smile plastered on his long face. "It's been a while," he added. Yusuke waved slightly; Kuwabara was the only one of the group he had been in touch with that past year. Even though he had dropped out of school because of his training in the Demon World, Kuwabara often dropped by his house to see how he was. He had proposed to Keiko before he left for Demon World, knowing if he didn't, she might have found someone else. Although he was engaged to her, they had decided to wait until she got done with school, seeing as she would have to be the bacon-bringer of the two.
"Ahem," Koenma coughed loudly; five sets of eyes instantly focusing on the toddler. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here," Koenma continued, "So I'll cut straight to the point. We are in need of your strength. Even the SDF (spirit defense force) wouldn't be able to handle this alone." Bad memories flooded the group; the case concerning Sensui hadn't been a pleasant one, and the four teammates would have rather not been reminded of all the details. Koenma's face was grave, his tone, while still holding the bossiness he was known for, was dismal. Having caught the attention of the five individuals, he twiddled his thumbs nervously. After a slight pause he spoke again, "My father delayed in taking action, hoping that the issue would sort itself out. He left about two weeks ago, but the problem has only worsened-", but he was cut off.
"Just say it, damn it! We aren't here to hear your sob story about your stupid dad. How are we supposed to help if we don't know what the problem is?!" Yusuke interrupted, face reddened with anger and impatience. The others, minus Botan, had felt the same, though they hadn't voiced their frustrations.
Koenma dismissed his eruption and went on as if it hadn't happened. "There is information none of you were privy to. In fact, I had no knowledge of it myself until my father left. There are other dimensions, some parallel to our own, others having nothing in common. There are barriers between dimensions, barriers much stronger than those around the three worlds here. It was thought that nothing could break through these walls; seeing as in billions of years of existence, nothing ever had...," he revealed, looking down at his disorderly desk, dying out at the end of his sentence.
"Let me guess, some evil demon broke through this barrier and is invading another world, right?" Yusuke growled, "Well you know what? I could care less about some other world! Let them fend for themselves!" It wasn't his problem, he thought to himself. Hiei gave his trademark 'Hn', glowering at the prince. Oppositely, Kuwabara looked alarmed, his mouth slightly ajar. Kurama, as always, looked calm and collected.
"Yusuke, hear me out. I'm not done talking, yet. I can't make you help, but decided once I finish," the toddler insisted. Yusuke grunted, however, it was obvious he would at least listen. "Anyway, your guess wasn't too far off the reality of the situation. My father left me with information concerning only one dimension-the one he left to. The barrier broke down in two different spots, connecting Demon and Human World with the dimension. In fact, it broke in the exact spots where Sensui broke the barrier between Human and Demon World. This dimension is unique to the others because, without it, all others would cease to exist. If demons enter that world, then this one could fall into oblivion. Do you understand the severity of problem now, Yusuke?" Koenma finished. His brown eyes fell to the former spirit detective, awaiting his answer.
"Yusuke, please! We need all of your help! With King Enma gone, we don't know who else we can count on!" pleaded Botan, concern and a hint of fear, clear on her face. All attention fell to Yusuke, pressure mounting. The painful expression the ferry girl wore didn't suit her, and her eyes threatened to form tears soon.
"What will you do, Yusuke?" Kurama spoke out quietly. His green eyes pierced Yusuke, urging him to take the right course of action. 'Dammit', Yusuke mused to himself, knowing he wasn't left much choice in the matter.
"No pressure, huh? It's just like always, I have no freakin' choice!" the black haired boy answered roughly. A sigh of relief came from Koenma and Botan. Yusuke would drag the others by their ears if he had to, because there was no way they he would let them wiggle their way out of it. "So what's the agenda for us, toddler?" he asked, emphasizing the 'us', so the others had no more say in the matter than he did. A headache was already starting to pronounce itself to him. "This is gonna be a looooong day", he grumbled to himself hopelessly.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed! As I stated earlier, this is my first fanfic, I would like to see if I'm keeping everyone in character. Please and thank you!