A/N: Sadly, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Spirit Detective Saga
Interlude - The Prince's Decision

Koenma watched the heartwarming reunion play out on the other side of the hospital window he and Botan had retreated through with an evaluating eye. Yukimura Keiko had good friends, a loving family, and an excellent burgeoning support network amongst both the mundane and the supernatural worlds, one which she'd built up on her own. She'd even mastered the basics of spirit manipulation of her own accord. While she had little martial skill, she exercised regularly and had friends who could mend that deficiency in time. It didn't hurt that she was respectful, thoughtful, and good-intentioned. On paper, she was an excellent candidate to become the next spirit detective.

But then so had the last one been before he'd gone rogue.

Koenma sighed to himself. This choice would be so much easier if Urameshi Yūsuke had just died instead. When the clerical error had first come to his attention, he'd arranged to test some punk kid with a possible heart of gold beneath his surly personality and numerous issues. Instead, a well adjusted girl who hadn't really had a chance to fail said ordeal had shown up and caught him off guard.

He swore he was going to sentence whichever fool who'd made the second clerical error in this mess to a thousand spankings.

"Well, I guess this case is over," Botan commented. "I'll have to check in every now and then, of course, with Sayaka still haunting Keiko, but all's well that ends well."

Koenma considered leaving the matter there. Did he really want to take a risk with Keiko? A second rogue spirit detective would be a disaster not just for the living world if it came to pass. It would be one thing to send her after murdering demons who unquestionably needed to be apprehended or outright destroyed. She could adjust to that, he was sure. The truest test would come when the job became a study in gray. Not all demons were bad, and not all humans were good.

But perhaps old wounds had merely biased him. Perhaps the question of Yukimura Keiko represented less of a gamble than he suspected. The eclectic company she kept indicated she was more flexible than her otherwise sterling record would suggest. She'd demonstrated some capacity to handle moral nuance and ethical conundrums over the course of her existence so far, both before and after death. And really, that was what had gone wrong last time. The last spirit detective had been too rigid, too sure of his own view of the world. Keiko would ruminate over such matters equally often, no doubt, but she would bend rather than shatter.

Probably.

For now, Koenma decided to proceed as though everything were all going according to plan. He turned his gaze from the happy scene before him to Botan. Of the ferrygirls under Spirit World's employ, she was one of the least experienced and, to be perfectly frank, possessed a reputation as a blabbermouth who couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

And that was why he'd personally assigned her to this case. Her relative inexperience left her more open to adapt rather than rely upon centuries of tried and true methods. Her openness, he'd hoped, would educate anyone with an ounce of curiosity about the supernatural. And it'd worked beyond expectations. Better yet, by all indications, she'd established a strong rapport with her charge that most other ferrygirls would have treated more as a professional obligation. She would serve as an excellent liaison between him and his new spirit detective.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Koenma at last replied. "This case is only just getting started."

Startled, Botan turned her attention from the party to him. "Sir?"

"Were you unaware I've been searching for a new spirit detective?"

Botan's eyes widened in genuine surprise. She glanced back at Keiko as she adopted an uneasy expression.

"You have an objection?"

"Ah, yes, well," Botan began with the nervousness of someone who hadn't yet learned that her boss valued honest opinions far more than obedience. "With respect, Sir, are you sure? Keiko has the brains for the investigative side of things, easily, but she's not really the type to crack skulls."

Just to ensure he had his facts straight, Koenma asked, "A pacifist?"

"Well, no," Botan replied reluctantly.

"Then she can learn from her friends to begin with. That should suffice for the small fry." As a few old memories came to mind, Koenma chuckled. "When you next return to Spirit World, you should pull our records for the first spirit detective. I'm sure you'll find her early career, shall we say, enlightening."

Botan clearly had no idea what he was talking about and wasn't sold on the idea but didn't argue any further.

"Regardless, unless you strongly object, I'm assigning you to act as Keiko's assistant from now on."

The sudden joy radiating from Botan practically made her eyes sparkle. "Me? Are you sure?"

"Of course," Koenma replied. "You're on good terms, and I've read your reports. You work well together." And there was another reason he'd assigned Botan to this case. "Your background in healing will also come in handy."

Under her breath, Botan said, "More than I'd like."

Koenma chose to ignore that. "Give her time to recover first." He wouldn't have all the paperwork necessary done inside of the week anyway. "Help her heal quickly. Don't forget to pick up her new toys once they're ready. I'm having them custom made."

"Of course! Thank you for this opportunity, Koenma, Sir."

Koenma nodded in acknowledgment. "I'll let you know when we have cases ready for her to look into."

With that settled, he dismissed Botan to go join the party while he returned to Spirit World. He unfortunately had a lot left to arrange for the hire of a new spirit detective.

A/N: And that's the end of my buffer for now. More will come eventually, I'm sure. I might try to weave in the Artifacts of Darkness Arc while I work on other things.