The weary sun struggled to shine through the dense fog of early morning as the wind carried along the stench of urban decay. Another typical morning in the thriving city of Tokyo.
A little ways off in a familiar grove of trees a team of Ogres were investigating the surrounding area. Collars drawn up to conceal their inhuman faces they shuffled around collecting soil samples, recording observations, or sketching out the perimeter of the area in question.
"George" whispered a creeping ogre, the only sound in the surprisingly noiseless surrounding. "I'm afraid Koenma Sama was correct in his assumptions." With trembling fingers he slowly brought a glass vial up to eye level. Clear liquid sloshed around inside swirling around little particles of softened earth. Even as the two creatures watched, the liquid became clouded, murky. Spreading out in thin neon blue ribbons it enshrouded the mixture assimilating it, starting from the particles of dirt.
"Oh my, Koenma isn't going to be pleased when he hears of this. What will he say when he learns that a miko walks among us once again?"
With that daunting thought a solemn George gathered his team and disappeared through a swirling vortex leaving behind neither hide nor hair of evidence that any one had disturbed the scene of the crime.
"Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei." A grave Koenma began, pausing to acknowledge each boy as he said their name. "What I am about to tell you must not, I repeat, must not leave this room. Do you understand?" Each word was short, separated and over articulated. No chance at misinterpretation.
"Yea yea we understand. Stop with the melodramatics already and just spit it out will you?" Yusuke huffed. He did nothing to hide his annoyance from the young lord if the crossed arms and the tapping foot was any indication.
"I'm deadly serious Yusuke. If word were to leak out of what I'm about to say it would lead to total chaos within the Makai. If you don't think you can keep your mouth shut about this speak up now and leave this room, you will be removed from this mission." Koenma stared, unrelenting until the fidgeting boy finally yielded.
"Yes I understand and I'll keep my mouth shut. Now care to explain what's got your diapers in a twist." The spirit detective rolled his eyes, tired of the theatrics.
"I need to get every ones word that they won't share this information with any one." His eyes bored into the skulls of Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara.
"What about Botan?" Kurama ventured a question. Relative of course considering she was their trans dimensional mode of transportation.
"She has already been briefed on the situation and sworn into secrecy. Now, your word if you'd please." Now it was Koenma's turn to contain his impatience.
"I, Shuichi Minamino swear to keep whatever information you disclose tonight in the strictest of confidence." The red head bowed with one tightly closed fist over his chest.
"Uh yea, what he said." Kuwabara mumbled scratching the back of his head, unable to come up with anything more eloquent.
"As the fox said I won't announce to the community whatever it is you spit out." Hiei glared at the silent figure. "Besides, who would I tell?"
"The highest bidder perhaps?" Koenma questioned.
"I don't go around selling information like some sniveling sneak." Not unless it benefitted him in any sort of way of course.
"I can never be sure when it comes to you Hiei. You care about no one but yourself, that doesn't make you one of the most trustworthy of people."
"Perhaps we should get back onto the topic of this latest assignment?" Kurama intervened.
"Yes, thank you Kurama. Now Yusuke, Kuwabara do you remember the girl you were telling me about. The one who killed the youkai you were sent to capture?"
"Yea the girl with the pretty black hair. What about her?" Kuwabara spoke up.
"Do you two remember how she killed it?" Koenma closed his eyes and tipped his head back. Maybe as a way to distance himself from this horrible reality that was about to unfold. There was no going back after this, nor could he ignore this problem. No, not this time.
"She shot it with some kind of pink spirit energy. The demon screamed and turned to dust." Yusuke replied in a bored fashion still not comprehending the severity of the situation.
"She purified the youkai. That girl was a miko." Koenma's head snapped back up to gauge the reactions of his detectives.
As predicted the news didn't seem to affect the two humans of the group in any way, shape, of fashion. Hiei went stiff, crimson eyes widening in disbelief. This was probably the closest thing to an expression of fear Koenma would ever see from the Jaganshi. Kurama remained as taciturn as ever, as emotionless as one of his roses.
"Is this supposed to mean anything important?" Yusuke broke through the silence. "What is a miko anyway?"
"A miko is the bane of youkai. Their very reason of being is to exterminate youkai." Hiei snapped out of his reverie and turned to stare at Yusuke. Well not directly at Yusuke, more like the wall right beyond his ear. "But mikos died out long ago without the threat of demons. Their descendants are nothing more than figureheads unable to comprehend the power their ancestors held."
"What?" Kuwabara asked more confused than he was in the beginning.
Kurama gave a sigh. "He's talking about shrine maidens. Mikos in title only, they hold no power these days. Not all mikos were evil though Hiei, I knew a miko whose goal was to make friends with just about every one she met."
Hiei burst into laughter, the deafening sound bouncing off the walls. "Non-demonic friend's maybe. Those narrow minded shrews would rather spit upon your grave and grind your bones into weapons than extend a hand in friendship."
"It was the Taijiya's that made weapons out of the bones of fallen youkai." His gaze fell to the floor. Taking a steadying breathe he continued. "She had demonic suitors after her hand and was in love with a hanyou of all things."
"Just how exactly is this a bad thing? So she can kill a few demons, I would have thought you'd be all after this girl trying to recruit her."
"Because Yusuke, if the demons in the Makai were to here of this do you know what kind of ruckus they'd create?" A rhetorical question but Yusuke still opened his mouth to try and answer. Cutting the delinquent off the young lord sped on. "They would try to break through the barrier to take her down, their only natural enemy. With all the attacks on the barriers holes would be made and there would be an increase of demons in the Ningenkai."
"Well what do you propose we do about it?" Yusuke asked in frustration. There were no leads to her whereabouts; they didn't even have her name.
"Capture her of course. Bring her in for questioning so we can bring to light as to how she ascertained these powers."
"How are we supposed to find her? Yusuke forgot to ask for her name." Kuwabara refused to look at Yusuke as he spoke.
"Hey you were there too, you could have asked for her name!" Yusuke gave an undignified yell.
"Shut up both of you!" Koenma yelled. The two boys immediately stopped to stare flabbergasted at the young spirit prince. "I don't have the patience to deal with your antics today. We've had our own suspicions in spirit world for quite a while you two just substantiated them. We have gathered enough research to pinpoint where a large amount of residue from potentially pure spirit energy resides."
"Potentially pure? Where the heck did you come up with that?" Hiei interrupted electing a glare of his own from the spirit prince.
"Yes potentially pure. It's hard to tell with all the taint surrounding Tokyo."
"If you had your suspicions why didn't you send any one out before to check it out?" Kuwabara asked. A simple solution to a simple problem in his mindset.
"Because! If we had word would have most likely leaked out leading to mass hysteria! Now that we have a confirmed threat you are the only people I can trust to get the job done!" You could hear a pin drop in the silence that resided.
"We understand. Where will your readings be taking us to?" Kurama stepped forward, the constant diplomat.
"You will all be heading over to the middle of Tokyo. To Sunset Shrine."
Gomen Gomen I'm late. Sorry, I was dealing with a lot of boyfriend drama this week and didn't have any time to write. But here is your latest chapter. We'll be visiting the Inuyasha gang next chapter which will be out relatively soon (hopefully). Even faster if I get more reviews *wink wink*. Till next time ja ne.