Some Things Never Change

The thief was still suspended in that bamboo trap. I couldn't leave him there, he'd bleed out in no time. Hell, if I didn't do something soon, he'd die shortly. If they had peirced him with anything but bamboo, it wouldn't have been so bad. But the bamboo was hollow. Instead of blocking the wounds they inflicted, they just made a passage way for the blood to escape from his body. Not good. If I wanted to save him, I'd have to remove the bamboo. I'd have to be fast and cut the bamboo into smaller, more manageable lengths, then remove them. No doubt there were other guards lurking about, so I needed to get the bamboo out, then move him somewhere out of the way. With a course of action planned, I moved towards him, my hands gripping the scythe tightly. I think I might have given him the wrong impression though. What makes me think that? He growled at me. Actually growled, like some animal. Well, he does have wings. But he looks human! Well. With the pointy ears, he looks like an elf, but that's besides the point. Unbidden, the thought 'That's one hot elf.' crossed my mind, but I quickly shoved it down some dark recess of my brain, hoping it never saw the light of day again. Now was not the time to develop a crush!

I decided to start with his ankle, and work my way from there. Slipping around him till I could get to his ankle, I knelt down and grasped the shoot of bamboo in one hand, the other grasping the scythe. Working quickly, I started chopping the bamboo shoot piercing his ankle into a smaller, more manageable length. Once I had done that, I tightened my grip on the shoot, and pulled it loose. It took alot of tugging, and I almost retched at the squelching noise the bamboo made when it finally came free. One by one, I chopped off and removed the bamboo shoots. When I came around to the front of the trap, I had to squeeze in between the shoots to get to the one piercing his arm, and one that went through his side. Taking care of his arm first, I wondered how I was going to take care of the one imbedded in his side. It was basically holding him up. Without it he would have fallen over. I needed something to keep his weight up, so when I took the bamboo away he wouldn't topple over like a drunkard. Mentally snickering at the image that provoked, I wondered what I could use. There was nothing around, really, that I could prop him up with. Well, I could use myself as a prop, but I really didn't want to. He was bleeding all over the place, and I'd rather keep dry, thank you.

Sighing, I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to get a little dirty if I wanted my friendly thief to live. Yay. Slipping in, I positioned myself so that when the bamboo was free, he would lean against me, and not fall onto his handsome face. With my back to his chest, I couldn't help but blush a little. He was warm, despite all the blood he had lost, and I could feel his breath on the back of my head. Grimacing, I focused on the task at hand. Making quick work of the bamboo shoot, I tugged it free as gently as I could. I heard a muttered curse from the thief, but I didn't get a chance to comment on his language. A squeak of surprise managed to get pass my lips, followed by a "Holy shit!", as I almost lost my footing. Forced to hold up all his weight, I almost toppled over but managed to regain my balance. "Damn, you're heavy." I muttered, trying my best not to jostle him as I helped him keep his feet. I got a quick, throaty chuckle for my troubles, and spared him a glare over my shoulder. With a dramatic, long suffering sigh, I started to help him move, hoping to get him away from the trap and into a more secluded area so I could tend his wounds. The further away, the better, because there were probably more guards lurking about.

Meanwhile... Present Day, Spirit World

The ex-spirit detectives walked down a long stone corridor, the perky Grim Reaper leading them towards Lord Koenmas office. "Hey Botan," Yusuke called out, his loud voice echoing in the silent corridor. "Any idea what Koenma wanted to see us about?" The Reaper in question turned to look over her shoulder, a slight frown playing about her lips. "I'm not entirely sure, myself. He said it was important, though." She informed them, before facing forward again. "Damnit, what the hell does he want now?!" The ex-detective complained, grumpy at being dragged to spirit world. He knew Keiko would have a fit if she found out where he was. "Patience, Yusuke," Kurama spoke up from his spot near the back of the group, "We will find out shortly, no doubt." Hiei 'hn'd' from next to the red-head, causing the fox demon to glance down at him, amused.

Botan turned towards the large doors to Koenmas office, swinging them open to allow the group entrance. Inside, the Spirit World Prince sat at his desk, hardly visible behind the towering stacks of paperwork covering almost every spare inch of his workspace. Furious fluttering was heard as the toddler that was Koenma quickly stamped the papers, one by one, shuffling them almost carelessly from the pile of new ones, into the pile of ones that had been already stamped. "Koenma, Sir! Yusuke and the gang are here!" Botan called cheerfully, causing the toddler to pause in mid-stamp. Putting the hammer-like stamp down, he surveyed the group, a serious expression on his face. "I'm glad you all could make it." He started, his voice grave and business-like. "I've recently received some unsettling news." He paused, thinking over how to explain the situation, and decided to be blunt.

"It has come to my attention that someone has recently traveled back in time." He stated, pausing to gauge the detectives' reactions. Kurama was the first to speak up, his quick mind going over the possibilities. "Back in time? That could be bad news, I would think. Wouldn't the actions of the time traveler affect the future?" He watched Koenma, a slight frown on his face. "Indeed," Koenma replied, frowning. "In fact, depending on where and when the person traveled to, our own lives could be affected." The toddler sighed, looking tired, no doubt from the stress of being Prince of Spirit World. "Hold on," Yusuke piped up. "Are you saying that our lives could change because of something this person does?"

Koenma sighed again. "Yes, Yusuke," He turned to look the ex-detective in the eyes. "I don't get it, guys." Said Kuwabara, suddenly joining in. "How can something someone does in the past affect us, now?" He looked from Yusuke to Koenma, and then to Kurama. "Well, for example," Koenma began, "If someone were to go back in time, and met your ancestors. Let's say a accident occured, and your ancestors died. Then you would cease to exist. It would be as if you never existed at all, and none of us would be the wiser, because history will have re-written itself. Our lives would have taken different paths, ones that wouldn't include you." He glanced at the detectives, looking into their eyes one by one. "This is why this is such a threat. The person who has gone back in time has the power to change history, and therefore change our immediate reality. If they are an enemy of ours..." He broke off, a little shiver racking his tiny body. "I shudder to think of the consequences of such a thing."

"Alright. Then all we gotta do is go back in time, and stop the person from doing anything, right?" Yusuke questioned. Koenma looked at the group, noting the grim expressions and the resolve to make sure nothing bad happened to the human world. "Unfortunately, it's not that simple, Yusuke." Koenma explained. "We aren't exactly sure how far back the person has gone. The risks are too great to send you back as well to aprehend the person. What if you accidently bumped into your past self? No, it's far safer to wait." That said, he waited for the outburst he knew would come. "What?! How is it safer to wait?!" With a long suffering sigh, Koenma made to reply, but before he could Hiei finally spoke up from where he leaned against the wall. "Why did you call us here, if it wasn't to go after the culprit?" The toddler couldn't help but wince at the glare the fire apparition had trained on him. "I called you here," He replied, "To brief you on the situation, so that you'll be ready if and when the time comes to travel back in time and catch the one responsible for this situation. I have some spirit world operatives working on finding out how far back the culprit has gone, and what their plans may be. As soon as I know whether it is safe to send you back, I will have Botan fetch you. So be prepared to move out at a moments notice. Understood?" The detectives grumbled, mostly Yusuke and Kuwabara, but they reluctantly agreed. "Alright then." Piped up Yusuke. "So can we go now? I got stuff to be doing, binky breath." A nervous Botan escorted the detectives out, before Koenma could get mad and start shouting. Kurama sighed, as Yusuke and Kuwabara snickered at the now distant sounds of Koenma throwing a tantrum. "Some things never change." He muttered to himself, a small smile on his lips.

-----

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was so long in coming out. I hit a few snags, and got distracted by life, cause life's a b***h, ya know? XD Anyway, I've been working hard on getting around the little snag I've come up against. I really didn't plan out this chapter, nor have I planned the next few, so it might take some time to get the chapters done. My dilema is that I have no idea what Kuronue and my OC can do in the Makai while they tend to his wounds. I plan on having them meet up with the gang, but I don't want that to happen right away, so I need some ideas for what could happen to them in between now, and when they meet the gang. If any of you guys have some ideas, tell me in a review. I'd also appreciate some feedback. I think the scene in Koenma's office could have been better, it seems almost awkward to me. :/ Constructive critisism would be nice. And yes, I realize I switched POV's. I didn't want to use one of the detectives views for the scene in Spirit World, because I wanted a sort of impartial, non-biased view, I suppose you could say. Sorry if switching it up makes it a little wierd. :/