Chapter Two: 99 Problems

"If this wasn't the most anti-climatic win for your team, I don't entirely know what else could do it."

Deja Vu was reoccurring as I stared down at the statue like Kaito who was frozen in an animated laughter pose. I was relieved they were able to win this challenge thanks to the strange tact that Kurama had used. The other three proved to be useless when it came to intellectual battle, though not technically one wasn't even a fighter and the other somehow lost his.

I survived on being totally and utterly quiet through out the rest of the time. Turning around I eye'd the group that stared back. "You've completed your first task in an... unique sort of sense. Thank your redhead later." I reached into the other pocket of my jacket to pull out the next note and handed it to Botan who took it reluctantly. Her light lavender eyes scanned the paper hastily while expression turned into
panic.

"Oh, dear!"

"What is it?!" Kuwabara snatched the paper and read aloud. "Unless you ask permission from Yanagisawa and Natalie, Yusuke will die if you enter through the next door. What the heck? The guy is unconcious!-"

"I'm sure there will be a way to awaken him." Kurama, the voice of reason started walking forward and passed me without ever so much as a glance. The rest started to follow and I trailed behind them.

"Just give him a little nudge, he's a light sleeper." Clarifying this Kurama glanced to the side with a raised eye-brow before doing so as instructed. Moments later a startled Yana awoke to us.

"Nap time is over." I slid my way past the group and kept my eyes on Kurama. It was quite different to see him act in these certain situations, with the tone of his voice creeping around the subject yet still made the point clear like glass. The words would cut through just the same, and as I experience before, he would show no mercy for those who hurt his allies.

The moment Kaito threatened to tarnish the spirit of his three comrades I saw the spark of danger in lively verdant eyes. The spark that enlightened a thousand year old demon who was hidden for sometime, and the spark of fierce commitment to those he cared for. He would show no mercy, yet he would show Kaito what pain was truly like.

This was no different.

Yana backed away and stood up right as I joined him by the side. He was very startled it seemed about how they were able to advance, however that was basically the whole point of the ruse.

"Looks like you guys were able to defeat my ol' pal, Kaito, hehehe, very impressive."

"Not really..." Mumbled words slipped out as I ignited another cigarette and let the smoke flow from my lips. "Defeated him with laughing till he practically cried on the shitty take of the Quiet Game." Yana snorted but I paid more attention to the hardened looks of those in front of me. Kurama stepped forward, surprising, with a comeback.

"You've been quite critical on all our moves; care to show us what gift you have, Natalie?"

I scoffed at his words and waved him off. "Neutral point, remember? Besides, I'm not so careless to walk into that crap. Secrets are safe me, Kurama."

His expression did not change as I stood my point, but the minute an arm came around my shoulders I was able to relax almost instantly. Yana chuckled once again "Girl's gotta mouth on here. Can't help but take it out of love."

Cute, cheesy, but cute the way Yana acted. I looked up at him while standing on the tips of my toes to peck a small but genuine kiss on his cheek. I felt the smile when I pulled a way and looked back to the group.

"Sometimes, hardly, but sometimes."

Kuwbara pushed his way up first with his exclamation. "You two are together?! This is just getting a little weird-"

"How is that even remotely weird for you? Oh, my God."

"Enough." Hiei stepped in while pointing straight at Yana and I, and with a sharp glare he procedded on.

"Give us permission to pass, now. We've retrieved the two other keys now let us go, and I wont ask again." A voice like steel made me nearly quit this entire thing. There was something about this ventriloquist-dummy sized demon that had told me he wasn't fucking around, and though I'd love nothing more than to push the remainder of his buttons, we were on a schedule at the moment. Sighing I looked up at Yana, my fingers reaching up for him to take a quick drag of my cigarette, and then moving back to keep a hold of his draped arm.

"Yeah," exhale. "you can go. May I remind you, though, your violent tactics don't work here, Hiei. So keep your mouth shut and do exactly what I tell you."

The growl from Hiei brought out his inner demon, but a more vocal approach came from Kuwabara.

"It really chaps my hide that we have to stand here and swallow these dweebs abuse!" I couldn't help but laugh at that statement as I threw the cigarette down and twisted it into the ground.

"Now, Kuwabara, that's not nice you know. We've been more than hospitable, what with free drinks and your lives of course." My sinister-evil-villain response did not go well with him, but it was Botan who had another say in that. "

That wasn't fair! You never specified that it had to be those letters together, not just the word!"

"Oh, but the letter did!" I stepped away from Yana and toward her direction, catching her off guard a bit by my sudden approach. "You didn't properly analyze the note we gave you. Gracious enough to even tell you that before hand, and yet you fell right for it. That's not our faults." I folded my arms and slowly narrowed my eyes with each word. "

Keep this up and I may just change my mind about allowing permission. Neutral guide, or not, I still have no moral dignity toward ass-kissing you know."

Botan let a frustrated sigh out and folded her own arms, cheeks turning a light shade of red and turning away from me slightly. I didn't bother pressing on with and instead looked to Kurama, who for once was actually showing a bit more of emotion this time. It was quick, but I saw more bitterness in those eyes then I had from before.

"Now, if you'll follow us we'll take you to your next adventure."

I watched them all departing up the stairs, four separate ways to four separate illusion stair cases. It was the best thing to set up, and possibly the most extensive as well. As the acsended upward I looked to Yana who I couldn't help but cling to his arm in anticipation. All four doors closed all at once when they were out of sight, so we could freely speak of our current plans.

"Those seals were a good idea, too bad they wont be any help." I giggled at his commentary while shrugging and pulling the walkie-talkie from behind my back pocket.

"Not like we'll hurt them anyway, besides it's time for you to suit up, babe." He chuckled before kissing the top of my forehead and giving a light squeeze to my free hand.

"Wont take long, remember who're we're taking okay? I'll see you up there." I nodded before watching him walk away and leaving me there for the moment.

"Kido," I spoke "everything's set up according to plan. They're taking the stairway to Heaven right now." I heard the nearly twisted chuckle from the other end.

"Ahh, perfect, much easier than I thought. Too bad that ol' sap, Kaito, wont be present to witness it."

Squealing I couldn't help releasing my pent up mischievous laughter before turning and heading for the short cut up the not-so-challenging stair case. Everything was mulling over in my mind about how they were feeding from the palm of our hands, and all we provided were clues, dilemma's, and lives being put on the line for them to catch the hints. I had hopped someone would've come to a conclusion and figured this out, but how could they? Genkai's plan was hardly suspecting of her to do so, and we all really just seem like a band of misfits picking a strange fight with Rekai's best.

The walk up there wasn't as long nor complicated as the other four's, but it felt like I couldn't pick up the pace to get there quick enough. I had my prayers answered whenever I found the two sliding doors in front of me, so after I pressed the button to open them I had to reconstruct my facial expression to something more practical for the even. In front of me stood an over bearing light that was planted right behind Yusuke Urameshi and Kido standing firm on the shadow of him.

"Laugh all you want, but you know if I had seen what kind of lame ass power you had, there'd be no way in Hell you would've been able to trap me!"

A slow eye roll later and I had practically pranced over to them, being careful not to step in Kido's way with his territory in place.

"That's just it, isn't it?" Yusuke looked to the side with his eye's, annoyance written all over his face and death if I proceeded to speak more. "You didn't see it coming, so what makes you think anyone else is going to do the same? Or, how about the fact that even though you would've won..."

"... I still was able to trap you, as a matter of fact." Kido obliged by finishing my statement. It was then that after Kido pointed his finger toward the Detective that a small jingle in his suit caused him to pull out the walkie-talkie replica that I had.

"Yeah?"

"All set, Kido."

He looked to me and copied my own grin before confirming on his own end. "Everything's set up. You know what to do, Nat?"

"Of course I do, it's quite simple, really-"

"What now?!" I waved Yusuke's inquisitive, yet aggressive, question off while debating on pulling out another cigarette. I only had a few left which meant I'd have to beg Yana to get some more later, yet at this moment in time I felt that it was a necessary thing to go a head and try to remain relaxed for the rest of the period. So as I lit another one I paced back and forth waiting for the others to arrive. Again, punctuality was never their forte'. In the midst of my pacing and Kido's teasing of Yusuke in his predicament I nearly didn't acknowledge when all four doors opened simultaneously. I stopped, flicked ashes and jumped over Yusuke's shadow to stand near Kido.

"Welcome."

"What's up, guys?..."

"Hola."

I scanned over the four, and though I knew where Yana was and who he was using his powers as, it was almost too perfect of a power to use. No one would've suspected anything thanks to his Copy power, and since Kuwabara was in the safe hands of Genkai it was all a matter of time before our mission was about to end. The four started hurrying closer to where the three of us stood, but just in time Yusuke warned all four to stay away.

"Just stay back! I'm stuck here, if you get close enough for him to step on your shadow, you'll be stuck too!"

That was enough for them to take a few cautious steps back away from Kido. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Guess you got off lucky on that one guys. Oh wow, you really caught us." Scoffing and waving off Yusuke's comment Kido chuckled with me.

"Always the comic relief, Nat. Although, before this gets along any farther, I should warn you that we're not the one's you should be worried about."

The five of them, really three with one being Yana and the other being the up most concerned, Hiei, were hooked to Kido's words as he continued on.

"One of your friends is an impostor."

Disbelief and criticism written on everyone's faces, Kuwabara (yeah, Kuwabara), spoke up and questioned what that could possibly mean. It gave Kido a headway into the next mission. The third and final task where all relied on Yusuke following through with intellect and thought process. It was on his shoulder's that they would either fail, or win.

I had never seen such energy, or felt it the way I did when Yusuke powered up to strike down his choice. He went straight for the Kuwabara replica, my boyfriend-thing Yana, and bashed him straight into the wall behind the group. Though it wasn't in character for me at the time to run to his aid to make sure he was okay, something told me I needed to. So taking off pass Kido, Yusuke and the group I moved the debris from my way with little struggle and held Yana's bruised face softly between my hands, lightly going over the wound before laying him back down and snapping my vision directly toward Yusuke.

"I know I'm remaining neutral but this was just cruel!" Bewilderment filled Urameshi's vision before anger did.

"I did what I had to do, chick! I'm not going to fill sorry for someone who's holding my teammate captive-"

"You could've easily killed him-"

"You're planning to kill Kuwabara!"

I stood up instantly, feeling the anger boil within me until I spotted Kido who gave a warning stare. I couldn't afford to mess this up, not now when we were close to revealing the secret behind this plot. I clenched my fists to the point of shaking at this point, yet silence was the only thing coming from my side.

"Now, now, back to the main topic at hand. Congrats for figuring it out, but how did you know the impostor was Kuwabara?" Good ol' Kido there for some kind of piss poor distraction.

Huffing Yusuke stood straight up and explained how Kuwabara was literally just a punching bag for him, if "nothing else" of course. He literally narrowed down the people the correct way, the best way to do so and for that I was proud of the Spirit Detective, but that did little to steady my negative emotions. Botan wasn't a fighter, and though he had considered her to be the choice it would've ended badly had we resorted to taking the none fighter, plus we weren't exactly evil in the first place.

Hiei and Kurama were last choices since they were very distrustful, and wouldn't fall for any traps we could set up. Of course if Yusuke had known that Hiei was a little twat and purposefully was captured during the first task, I'm sure he'd be singing a different tune. So, at the end, it was perfect to pick Kuwabara.

Though there was little to celebrate, Yusuke had had enough and so did the others.

"The game is over, now cough up Kuwabara!"

Yusuke progressed further over to Kido, all going back and forth between looking at me and him. I, however, kept eye contact with Kido and nodded for an approval.

"Fine then, let us introduce you to the mastermind of this little set up, Rekai Tentai." I walked forward and picked up the half smoked cigarette I had dropped
in the process of running to Yana, relight it, and walked next to Kido. Surprised expressions all around for the four, though hardly on Hiei and Kurama, as Kido
pressed the remote for the door behind us to open. Hesitance and silence filled the air before small, but firm footsteps started approaching us.

"I... I can't believe it. Why would you do something like this?"

I turned around and greeted my mentor with a genuine excited smile as the smoke flared out of my nostrils.

"Hello, old friend."

"Hello to you too, Natalie."

Authors Note:

Oh, my God this took forever for me to finish. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to update faster than this. Also, I want to apologize if it's choppy or anything, I'm sure I'll end up fixing it later and what not. Right now, I needed to get this out. It's basically a filler because the next chapter is more drama filled. I needed something in between instead of a huge, long chapter and what not. I hope you enjoyed it somehow!

I want to thank my lovely reviewers, people you fav&followed the prologue! It was really sweet of shawn-n-belleand owloveyou! :D Thank you guys so much!