I only own Kiyoshi, Kasumi, Takeshi, and Akiko. I just read the seventeenth book, but as far as I can tell, so far this story is compatible with everything in that book. R&R. :) Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up.
About twelve minutes after Kiyoshi placed the call to Koenma, the requisition force Koenma had sent arrived. Walking into the lair behind Kasumi, they were stunned. Koenma had warned them that the place they were going was unlike anyplace they had ever been sent before. But that still hadn't prepared them for what they saw now.
They had been sent to plenty of demonic stashes in the time they'd worked for Koenma. But never anywhere that had such a variety of items. And only a very few with so many. And all of those contained all the items the demon thief still possessed. According to Koenma, however, this particular demon probably had multiple other stashes close to this size.
The eldest member of the requisition force leaned to the second-most senior member and whispered, "Whoever owns this particular den could give Yoko Kurama a run for his title as Thief King." The other nodded his agreement.
They then set to work collecting the items and moving them back into Reikai, where Koenma waited to file them.
The Reikai Tentai waited outside, doing their best to just stay out of the way of the people Koenma had sent. Kiyoshi was attempting to figure out how they could find the demon who owned this den, now that he had left. But he was having trouble concentrating; something else was tugging at his consciousness, distracting him. Suddenly, he placed it. It was a presence that reminded him of Akiko's, although not quite so powerful, but she sat next to him. Just as he thought this, he glanced at her, checking to see if she felt it too. She nodded. Takeshi was fidgeting; it was apparent he felt something, too, even if he didn't recognize it for what it was. A demonic presence moving directly toward them.
Koenma was frustrated and delighted at the same time. Delighted because of the lost treasures his team had accidentally recovered. Frustrated because the work finding them entailed was, well, extremely boring.
He had spent the last two hours stamping 'recovered' on the stolen item reports in Reikai's extensive filing system, then signing them. And that was only for the ones that had been reported missing. The others he had to identify and write out an entire report for. Thankfully, he had people to at least find the files for him. Each time he moved a completed report to the pile on his left, he counted it. So there he sat. "113… 114… 115… 116…"
The demon approached the group, and Kiyoshi and Akiko stood, preparing to fight. Kasumi stood when she saw him, and Takeshi, finally noticing the threat and recognizing that the demon was what his sixth sense had been alerting him to, followed suit. Kasumi spoke first, "Are you the one to whom this hideout belonged?" Her voice was forceful, demanding, yet the demon before them didn't seem to care.
He snorted. "I wish."
Akiko had been watching him since he had stepped into view, gauging his power. And he didn't impress. "Yes. You do." She spoke calmly and quietly, but it still commanded the entire group's attention. "If you did, you'd be much more powerful, to be able to continue upholding the protection around the place for an extended amount of time from a distance. And, what's more, you wouldn't come here peaceably; you'd mean to recapture your stronghold, or you wouldn't come back at all."
"Feh."
Fire flashed in Kasumi's eyes. "The what is your purpose I coming here?"
"This." From his sleeve he pulled an envelope. "I was… coerced by a demon far more powerful than myself into delivering it. The demon who does own this lair, in fact. He attacked, placing a seed of some sort on me; he assured me that he could track me with it. And if I didn't do as he asked, it would kill me. I decided not to risk it." He passed the sealed envelope to Kasumi when she held her hand out for it. Moments later, he was ripped apart from the inside and a flowering plant took his place.
Kiyoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi stared in horror. Akiko, unsurprised by demonic cruelties, pulled the envelope from Kasumi's hand, and broke the seal.
In Koenma's office…
"143… 144… 145… 146… 147…"
The team crowded around Akiko to read the note.
My dear friends,
To you go the honors of several things. First, congratulations on being appointed the new Reikai Tentai. That is no small feat. Second, and more importantly, I commend you for being the first to have ever reached any of my private stores. Finally, an honor you may receive but as yet undetermined, you may be capable of finding me and the others I travel with, something not intentionally done for decades. For that, good luck.
If you would follow us, you must locate—and gain entry to—another of my dens. But be forewarned—the one whose protection you all have already breached is the easiest to gain access to. Should you pursue us, you must travel to the location marked on the map. That is my next hideout. Another note of this nature will be inside; if you intend to find us, you must precisely follow the directions in that one as well. A scavenger hunt, if you will.
Also, last Koenma heard from us, two of us were class A, and the last was more powerful still. And we have continued our training since then; our strength has only increased. If you still think it wise to pursue us, I applaud your courage. Although, it would surprise me if Koenma allowed it, after what happened to his last team.
If you need proof of my power, look in front of you. He is dead by my hand. I once competed in a tournament, in which I recall telling one of my opponents, "I enjoy facing lowlifes like you. It allows me to be as brutal as I want." He certainly falls into that category, although you all may not, I'm not sure of that yet. But from this you should be able to see that I am cruel. And let me say this—I have no qualms over killing those who are out to kill or capture me. Especially if they are demons, although I will readily kill any human who attempts it. And, as you can see, I can both control and communicate with my plants over extensive distances. And my too allies either match or surpass me in power. Consider yourselves warned.
And back to my lack of problems with murder. My life and freedom are my two most prized possessions, one or both of which you are after. Also, the most significant—if not difficult—challenge of my life—and my friends'—is to avoid Koenma. At all costs. As for whether I face a demon or human adversary, it doesn't matter. However, demons better understand what they are getting themselves into and are more capable of handling what is dealt to them. But the fact that three of you are human means nothing. Which brings me to my last point.
Three of you are human. Only one is currently a demon. Is use the word 'currently' because, if my assumptions are correct, one of you is a throwback from Yusuke Urameshi's line. I am confident in this. And based on this and Koenma's attachment to his last team, I will give you my predictions on the other three of you. The demon is descended from the Ice Maiden Yukina, sister of Hiei. One of the remaining humans is of Shizuru Kuwabara's line, sister to Kazuma Kuwabara. And finally, the last. He has a strong connection to plant life, and he is a descendant of a woman named Shiori Minamino. Until now, her line has never disciplined itself in both body and spirit. If it had, it could very well have unleashed a monster.
I suppose I should explain. Over the years, I have collected a vast array of knowledge of demonic genetics. And rumors of what A-class and above demons are capable of doing with them. If a human fetus is exposed to a demonic aura for almost the entire pregnancy, the child will be endowed with more spiritual capabilities. If an A- or S-class demon says a certain incantation, they can consciously insert a copy of a certain number of their demonic genetics in among the fetus' human genetics. This will then be passed down through generations, without manifesting, unless one of the members of that line becomes spiritually disciplined.
In Makai, these have come to be known as 'copycat demons.' Similar to throwbacks, but with two key differences. First, only spiritual discipline is needed to set off the transformation, not death. Second, they will retain their humanity. They receive full demonic power over a particular area—in this case, plants—without obtaining a true demonic aura or a core. Their life can also be significantly extended. In the end, I conducted this experiment on Shiori Minamino's younger son. Therefore, one of you is a copycat demon.
So tell all this to Koenma, and come after us, if you dare. But beware, for I have never once lost at my own game.
The team read this, slightly surprised by this open challenge. But they were completely stunned by how much this demon seemed to have deduced about them. And, if what he claimed about copycat demons was true, Koenma's team could once again end up, for all intents and purposes, with a one to three human to demon ratio. And it now seemed clear where Kiyoshi's large amount of previously untapped power came from.
But what shocked them most was the signature at the bottom of the letter; a name they all recognized. And it belonged to a demon they knew they had no hope of defeating in a physical or mental match. Especially if those he was allegedly traveling with accompanied him. The name at the bottom of the letter made their skin crawl with anticipation, anxiety, and, most of all, fear.
It read:
Yoko Kurama
"198… 199… 200… 201… 202… 203… 204…" Suddenly Botan burst into Koenma's office. A paper was in her hand and she appeared flustered. "What are you doing here, Botan?" Koenma asked. "You're supposed to be overseeing the transport of the treasures from Makai to Reikai." His voice was sharp, evidence of how much his tedious workload was grating on his nerves—and his patience.
"My apologies, sir. But I deemed this far more important! It's about the demon your team is after. He's issued them a challenge! And it's no run-of-the-mill demon, either. It's—"
"Kurama. Yes, I know."
"You already knew?!"
"If not knew, suspected. What's that paper?"
"Oh!" Botan handed it to him. "This was the letter Kurama sent to them. He used a roughly D-class demon, who was ripped to shreds by one of Kurama's plants only moments after the envelope was placed in Kasumi's hand."
"So he's as intelligent and powerful as ever, then."
"I don't think so, sir." Botan contradicted. "The three of them—I assume Hiei and Yusuke are the other two—have only become stronger since they disappeared, according to a warning in Kurama's letter."
"Stronger? How?! Last time I talked with them about their classifications—shortly after Yusuke resolved the conflict between Raizen, Yomi, and Mukuro, the day I rehired them—Kurama and Hiei were upper-A, and Yusuke was already deep into S. Hiei and Kurama must be S, then. Yusuke, though. How is this possible?"
"I don't know, sir."
"Wait—my new team. I must call of this mission; they can't hope to defeat any of those three, much less all of them together, especially at the current ability levels of everyone involved!"
"I'll notify them of the cancellation, sir. Meanwhile, you should probably read that letter."
"Yes. Thank you, Botan."
As she left she said, "You were at 204, sir." Then the door shut behind her.
When Botan reappeared, the team hardly glanced at her. "Koenma wishes you to return to Genkai and continue your training!" she said brightly.
When Kiyoshi looked up, his eyes flashing in a glare that was strangely reminiscent of Kurama's. "We can't do that." Botan took a step backward, surprised by the ferocity in his voice. "We're already committed to finding him. And I saw in your shock that you know nothing of copycat demons. If I want to know the true extents and limits of my abilities, I must seek out Kurama for answers."
"And we'll travel with him," Kasumi added, "We are a team. And I wish to meet Yusuke. Genkai is a good teacher, but she doesn't have the experience Yusuke does of the actual transformation."
"And I ain't gonna be left outta something this important." Takeshi said. Akiko didn't offer an explanation or motive.
"But… but even together you cannot hope to defeat even one of them! Yusuke was a class-S demon when they left. And Hiei and Kurama were both class-A. By underworld calculations, they are all class-S demons by now!" Botan was nearly crying in fright at what the team was planning to do.
Kiyoshi didn't seem to be fazed. He apparently possessed Kurama's innately calm demeanor. "Kurama will not harm us if we don't try to attack."
"But his letter said that—"
"If we tried to capture or kill him, he would kill us. And that he's never been beaten at his own game. That's all this is to him; a game to see who is intellectually superior—me or him. And to see if his experiment worked. Which I intend to prove it did."
They picked up their packs and walked away from the stunned ferry-girl, following the directions on a map Kurama had included with his letter.
Botan knocked nervously on Koenma's office door before letting herself in. She found him pacing back and forth. When he saw her, he said, "Botan, what do our files say on copycat demons?"
Glad to postpone telling him what his team had decided she answered quickly. "File. I could only find one file on them. It claims that a copycat demon is only a theoretical concept. A copycat demon whose powers have manifested, such as Kiyoshi, is unprecedented. But I would imagine, however that they are similar to Sensui, as far as power goes. Either class-A or class-S power levels, without actually being a demon. Except Sensui couldn't control anything other than his aura; he didn't have any demonic abilities; Kiyoshi is fast developing skills in controlling plants."
Muttering to himself, Koenma said, "What am I going to do, what am I going to do?"
"I don't think it matters much, sir." Botan said quietly.
"And why not?"
"They've accepted Kurama's challenge, whether you approve or not."
"They did what?!"
"You did what?!" Yusuke shouted.
"Sent them a letter," Kurama said again.
"Why?"
"It's been too long since anyone even came this close to being a worthy intellectual opponent."
"So this is just you playing games?"
"Pretty much. Playing games and doing an experiment."
"An experiment?"
"First of all, one of those children is a descendant of you and Keiko; another is Yukina's; the third is Shizuru's; the last is Shiori's. And Shiori's descendant is my experiment. He—or she—is an awakening copycat demon."
"A copycat demon? You have got to be kidding, Kurama."
"Not in the slightest. But I did make it perfectly clear that, should they attempt to take us to Koenma, it would be their funerals they were arranging. They should realize that our power vastly exceeds their own."
"You actually succeeded in creating a copycat?" Hiei sounded impressed, which was rare enough that even Yusuke and Kurama were surprised by it, and they had been living with Hiei for a century and a half. "From everything I've heard, anyone who has tried it has failed."
"I believe I have succeeded because one of the humans has a strange control over plants; nothing on me, of course, but more than any human should have."
"Wait," Yusuke said, "Did you say Shizuru, as in Kuwabara's sister?"
"Yes…"
Yusuke groaned. "I don't think I'm ready for that."
"Wuss." Hiei muttered.
"I'm not sure I am either. But I weighed seeing him against not meeting my copycat. You know what I chose. I'll leave them a note here when we leave, directing them to our next camp. If they can't find us, then they're not worth our time or trouble."
Yusuke nodded. "I only hope for Koenma's and that team's sake that this isn't simply history repeating itself, because I'm getting a strange sense of de jávu, only we're on the opposite side of the fence now; the Reikai Tentai confronting multiple powerful enemies, resulting in the death of one, after which the other three disappear. Mostly for Koenma's sake."
"As do I, Yusuke, as do I."