A/N: Sorry I haven't updated since posting the first four chapters, but I've been a bit busy with my other story. Anyway, I'm here now, SO REJOICE IN MY PRESENCE! ...Ahem. Right. I would like to let you all know that the Makai I refer to in this fanfic is completely copyrighted to moi, since I was unable to locate a map from the actual series to use. Any places mentioned have absolutely no basis in the actual storyline of YuYu Hakusho as written by Yoshihiro Togashi (which I have no claim on, sad though that may be on my part). Niether does Li-Sanya. And, actually, Li-Sanya's name is impossible in the Japanese language (no l's). I did claim artistic liscense (and my right as a fanfic author) to make Suzaku and Sieryu Li's students, but they don't actually come into this story.

Shortly thereafter, we arrived at Yusuke's house, where we were greeted enthusiastically by a tall (rather ugly) dude with orange hair, two girls and a cute guy with a binky who seemed rather familiar. One of the girls, a brunette, immediately jumped on Yusuke, taking over from Botan, and I recognized her as Keiko, Yusuke's "girlfriend."

The other one, a tall girl with pale hair and red eyes to match Hiei's introduced herself as Yukina and, judging by how the tall guy was treating her, probably his girlfriend. Though, honestly, I just couldn't see anyone actually liking a guy like that. He turned out to be Kuwabara and, if I was to go by Hiei's muttered opinion, also a baka. Then the last guy started speaking and I realized why he looked familiar.

"Okay, so now that-" I jumped on him, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Koenma!" I shrieked, bowling him over. "Long time, no see!"

"Ahhh!" He exclaimed. "Get off of me!" I reluctantly obeyed so that the ruler of the spirit world could get up and dust his pants off. "Now, just what do you think-" He cut himself off, looking at me as if he had just seen his dad, King Enma, do a hula. "Li-Sanya?" He asked, incredulous. I gave him a big grin.

"The one and only." I said. "Sooooo, what do you say to your long lost aunt…?" Koenma's face started to turn red.

"Uhhh…"

"A welcome back would suffice." I told him when it became apparent that he wouldn't say anything on his own.

"Uh, right. Uh, welcome back…" He said slowly, his face still pretty red. Then he turned back to the others, who had been staring at us in shock. I had even managed to get Hiei to look shocked again for the third time that day. Koenma coughed, embarrassed. "Ahem. Boys, this is my…aunt…Li-Sanya, the former queen of the Makai. She, uh, has been…missing…for the past five hundred years." Yusuke started to snigger and Koenma glared at him, cutting him off mid-snigger. "Ahem. Anyway, I came to give you guys your next mission."

"Aww…" Yusuke started to complain, forgetting about having just learned that Koenma had an aunt. "But we just got back and we're tired and hungry and thirsty and I wanna-" Koenma cut him off.

"And have I told you yet that you have to leave right away?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Yusuke sighed. "No, but-"

"No buts." My nephew said firmly. "This mission is to find and destroy a rather powerful artifact that has the power to turn anything it's pointed at into stone."

Kurama piped up. "Like the Gorgon's gaze in human mythology?" he asked. Koenma nodded.

"Exactly. Except, this is no myth. It was stolen from the vaults a while ago and we need you to track it down, since our own attempts have failed. Now-" it was my turn to pipe in.

"Whoa, now. You mean to say that an artifact with this sort of power has been just sitting around in the treasure vaults?!" I exclaimed, shocked beyond belief. Something like that should have been destroyed at the earliest convenient time.

"Well, yeah. It's been scheduled for destruction for about two hundred years now, but we've just never gotten around to doing it. So I need you guys to locate it and destroy it before it destroys us!"

"So, uh, what does it look like?" Yusuke asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"It's an amulet with a single eye in the center on one side. The eye is usually shut, but if it opens, don't look at it. It will turn you to stone if you do and there's no known remedy to that. On the other side is an inscription saying-" I broke in again.

"Saying,

'A cursed eye, a demon's wrath,

The queen's own law, a thief lord's whip.

Two humans and one who has taken life,

Traveling together for this trip.

Go now, past the haunting notes,

To where the Lord hold's sway.

Darkness will light the path,

A fire will show the way.

Now, queen, triumphant return,

Back to the one you hold dear.

The day has begun to dawn,

On the birth of a New Year.

Six shall go, six shall come,

But two will face the past long gone.

These two may not leave,

'Till old grievances are done.

Now tell me true, the answer you know,

What is given freely, stolen it can never be,

Taken in gratitude, held close to the heart.

Can soften a demon's heart and can never truly be seen.

More precious than gold, more beautiful than silver,

Both protection and a weapon, never seen in war,

Sometimes found when the other is gone,

Not even the purest evil can mar?'"

I finished my recitation and looked up at the others. They were all staring at me incredulously, Hiei included. I raised an eyebrow. "What? I had it in my possession for about 50 years and I deciphered it in my free time." Koenma shook his head.

"You had it deciphered and you never told us?" He asked painfully slowly. "Do you know how long it took us to track down the manuscripts to decipher it?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I've got a fair idea. I did hide them fairly well, didn't I?" Once again, Koenma shaking his head crashed my good mood.

"You're hopeless." He muttered. Then he looked back up to the boys. "Okay, slight change. Take Li-Sanya with you. She might prove to be helpful along the trip and she might even have some clues to the amulet's location." Kuwabara raised his hand. "Yes, Kuwabara?"

"Uh…do we have to go to the demon world again?" he asked apprehensively. Koenma sighed.

"I don't know. It depends on where the amulet is. If it's in the Makai, then you'll have to go there. If not, then you won't. Understand?"

"Uhh…yeah."

"Okay, then. As soon as you are rested, well fed and fit, you may begin looking for the amulet. I can only urge you to find it quickly." He said before disappearing with a –poof-. We all stood there for a moment in silence, and then Yusuke sighed.

"Well, that's that. Who's hungry?" He looked around the room at the others expectantly. Keiko reached over and slapped him. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Trust you to only think of your belly at a time like this." She said with an exasperated sigh. I grinned, but decided to side with Yusuke on this one.

"Well, he has a point." I said. "I could do with some food and a soft bed, as well." A sudden yawn emphasized my last remark. "Food first, though."

"Well, we'll need to go back to the mansion, then. I'm afraid that with this group, we won't be able to stay here." Kurama said. "I can make lunch there." I looked at him, slightly surprised that he could cook at all. Well, guess that'll teach you to judge by looks alone, huh? I thought to myself. Then I looked at Hiei and decided that maybe looks weren't so deceiving after all. He glanced over at me.

"I heard that, you know." He said as the others all started to troop outside again. I smirked slightly as I followed.

"I know. You were supposed to hear it." I said as I closed the door behind me. In front of me, Botan was manipulating a small watch-like thing on her wrist.

"There!" She exclaimed, finally succeeding at whatever she was doing. Everyone looked up expectantly and a moment later a large multi-colored portal appeared in front of the group. We all stepped through and I gasped slightly.

We came out at the base of a hill on a narrow road that wound up the hillside to a large mansion. The mansion had three stories built of a pinkish stone, probably granite, and had a ton of windows on the side facing us alone. I lost count at about 238, or maybe it was 239…Either way, there were a ton of windows. A few moments later, we were at the front door and I was about ready to pass out from all of the physical and spiritual exercise I had done that day. I was in such a bad way that I didn't even notice Hiei enter my mind for a moment. I did notice it when he stayed behind and watched me, though, as the others went ahead.

I glared at him. "What do you want, shorty?" He shrugged.

"Nothing." He said, looking away. I raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. Now, really, what do you want?" I said, not in the best of moods. He glanced back at me.

"I told you. I don't want anything." He repeated.

"Then why are you waiting for me?" I asked. Hiei looked away again.

"Not for you, that's for sure." I raised my other eyebrow. "I just don't want Kurama harping at me about leaving you on your own, especially in the condition you're in. He's worse than a mother that way." He admitted, crossing his arms. I blinked, then shrugged.

"I'm not that worn out and I don't recall asking for your assistance, so you can go ahead." I said, standing up straight and starting to walk past him. Just as I drew even with him, though, my sight blurred and I fell to one side, unfortunately, the side Hiei was on. Startled, he barely managed to catch me. I blinked up at him. "Then again, I seem to need a shoulder to balance against." He sighed and hauled me back upright.

"Come on, baka." He said, leading me down the hall after the others. "No sense in both of us starving because of you."

In the kitchen, I gratefully collapsed in a chair and looked eagerly at Kurama, who was just turning from the stove with a pan. He placed it in front of me and said, "Dig in." I promptly obeyed. Everyone around me did as well. Soon, the only ones still eating were Yusuke, Kuwabara and myself. All the others were staring at me in shock.

"Where does she put it all…?" Keiko muttered to Yukina. "I mean, Yusuke and Kuwabara I can understand; they're boys. But her…" The taller girl just nodded, wide eyed. Shortly, though, even I got full. I started to stand, but ended up back in my seat as a gigantic yawn escaped.

"Oh, my. Excuse me." I said, blinking sleepily. "I think a bed is next?" I asked hopefully. Kurama nodded.

"Yup. Do you want me to show you to the room you'll be staying in?" He asked politely.

"Sure; I get the feeling that if I tried to find it, I'd be lost for the rest of my life, however long that is." I replied gratefully. It was true; from what I'd seen, the mansion was a veritable maze of hallways, rooms and stairs. He helped me stand and guided me out of the kitchen and up two flights of stairs. By the time he stopped me in front of a door, I was practically yawning my head off and I'd resorted to leaning my head on his shoulder, not a thought crossing my mind of how he would react. Had I been paying attention, I might have seen his rather red face, though, considering the fact that if I wasn't in the condition I was I probably wouldn't have been in a position to do that at all…

"Here we are." He said, opening the door. I more or less collapsed on the large bed, sighing as my head hit the pillows.

"Thanks, Kurama." I said sleepily, closing my eyes. "You're not at all like I'd imagined you'd be from the rumors."

He paused as he walked to the door. "The rumors?"

"Yeah. The rumors had you as a cruel, heartless thief lord." I told him, completely missing his shocked expression. "So far, I haven't seen a single sign of that in you. Though of course, I really don't know you all that well yet…" I yawned again. "Ask me more about it tomorrow. I'm going to go to sleep now. Good night, Kurama." I rolled over and was asleep almost instantaneously. Kurama closed the door softly behind him.

"Good night, Li."

When I woke up, I didn't know where I was at first. The sun was shining through the window on gray walls and red and black pillows surrounded me. Then I remembered and came wide-awake. I had met team Urameshi and had gone with them to stay at their mansion. Kurama had shown me to this room last night. Slipping out of bed, I decided to find out what the walk-in closet held before checking out the bathroom.

Inside the closet, I was rather surprised to find a ton of tops and bottoms that could have been taken straight from my old wardrobe, back when I was queen. Finally choosing a dark green tank top and maroon capris, I went into the bathroom to find a large bath equipped with scents and other accessories and the fluffiest towels I'd ever seen in my entire life (approximately 4,923 years, give or take a few, so the towels were just about heavenly.).

A half-hour later, I emerged from the bathroom feeling much better and dressed in the new outfit. Digging through the jewelry box on the dresser, I located a thin choker with a garnet and opal pendant that complemented the outfit perfectly. Just as I finished putting it around my neck, someone knocked on my door. Opening it, I saw Kurama, dressed (as usual) in a red uniform-like outfit. I smiled at him.

"Perfect timing; I just finished getting ready." I told him. "Is breakfast ready?"

He nodded. "Yes, I came to show you the way, seeing as you probably weren't paying much attention last night." I sighed.

"Yeah, you're right. Still, you can't expect someone who'd been up for about 32 hours straight to not be a bit tired." I said wryly, following him out into the hall. He laughed.

"True." He said, leading the way down the hall. We were quiet for a moment, and then I opened my mouth hesitantly.

"Kurama…"

"Yes, Li?" He said, turning to look at me. I stopped and he did so as well. "Is anything wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, not precisely." I reassured him. "It's about this mission."

"What about it?"

"You know that verse I recited yesterday?"

"Yes. What about it?" He frowned slightly, confused.

"Well," I took a deep breath. "It's really a prophecy about the amulet and something that's supposed to happen to it. I…I didn't want to say anything before, in case Koenma said something, but now I think it may help us." Kurama was silent a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. Then he looked up and searched my face intently.

"So, you're saying that this verse-prophecy-can help us find the amulet?" He asked. I nodded slightly.

"Yes, though I'm not entirely sure how. There do seem to be people mentioned in it, though…" I trailed off, suddenly aware of how silly it must sound, me prattling on about something as vague as a verse from the back of an amulet that's supposedly a prophecy. "I'm sorry. You must think me an idiot. Sorry to bother you. We should probably get to breakfast." I turned away from him slightly, my eyes downcast. I heard Kurama sigh and felt a light touch on my shoulder.

"Li. You are not an idiot." He said softly. I glanced up to see his green eyes looking at me worriedly. "If anything, you are the smartest person I know. Now, I've only known you for all of about a day, but I already know that you don't talk seriously about something you don't think is a serious matter. If you think this prophecy will help us, then there's a strong possibility it will. So don't think it's silly to bring it, or anything, up if you think it could be of assistance. Alright?" He raised his eyebrows slightly and I smiled weakly.

"Alright. And…thank you, Kurama." I replied quietly. He squeezed my shoulder before letting go.

"You're welcome. Now, how about some breakfast? We can tell the others about the verse later." I nodded and we set off down the hall again.

After breakfast, which had been scrambled eggs, toast and sausage, we all found our way into the living room, where we each sat down to do our own thing. Or not, in Hiei's case, since he just sat down on the window seat and stared out the window as if it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. Kurama grabbed a book he'd apparently had been reading and continued somewhere in the middle. Yusuke and Kuwabara immediately raced to the video games and TV, which they then proceeded to stare at intensely as they made their characters beat each other up. Keiko and Yukina went over to cheer on their respective boys, and Botan disappeared to Koenma's. I hung back for a moment before crossing the room to look over one of the bookshelves. Running my finger over the spines of the books as I browsed, I tilted my head to one side so I could read the writing.

"Let's see…read that already…that was a boring one…" I muttered to myself as I walked down the length of the shelf. Turning, I started back the way I'd come, on a different shelf. "Hmm…that might do…oh! I haven't read this one!" Stopping, I pulled the book off the shelf and blew the dust off the cover. It hasn't been read in a long time, I thought, looking at the title. Jesa's Guide to the Makai and the Artifacts and Persons Found Therein. Huh. Certainly a long title. Wonder what's inside? Curious, I sat down in one of the nearby chairs and set the book on my lap.

I'd have to agree with Li on this one. That is certainly a long title I came up with. This book is also completely made up from my mind and if you would like to have a (nonmagical) copy, let me know and I'll get it to you...somehow...

On a different note, I love to be told how I'm doing. This whole story's already written out, so reviews aren't necessary, just appreciated. Even so, I would love to get feedback from readers, if only to let me know that I'm not completely ignored and hated.

Anyway, I've gotta go, so Happy Father's Day and adios!

Haliaetus.