AN: Hello! Here's chap 6! Thank you lilnightmare17 and evy for reviewing chap 5. Appreciate it! :) Enjoy~
Sincerely,
UniversalGoddess
A Week Later
The wind called to me as I stand in the open
She said I am lost in the wilderness
She asked me if I can home
I asked her where is home
Because I don't know
Tsuki sang as she brushed her fingers on the koto's musical strings. She was dress in her miko outfit, getting ready for her Sunday morning.
Should I go left? Should I go right?
Wind please tell me
She said follow your soul
Your heart knows the way
The crows cawed to her as she continued her singing. They were standing on top of the large pine trees, watching her every move.
Tsuki closed her eyes and listened to her music.
It's been almost six months since Tsuki last played her instrument. Since school and training had been keeping her busy, she barely had time to play it anymore.
The instrument originally belonged to her mother. After she died, Grandfather Saito gave the instrument to her.
Tsuki, my daughter isn't among the living, but that doesn't mean her spirit dies. Play to keep her spirit with us.
The instrument was old. Tsuki could see small scratches in the hard brown wooden surface. The musical strings needed to be tightened a bit. However, the koto still played rather beautifully.
Soul, can you hear me?
I am lost
Where is home?
My soul said follow the stars
They will show you the way
Every time she touched the strings with her fingers, it gave her warmth and excitement that reached deep inside her heart.
When she was six, Tsuki remembered lying down on the wooden floor and watching the stars light up the night sky as her mother played her koto. After the first few tunes, Tsuki was able to fall peacefully asleep.
Tsuki stopped her singing, completing her song with the last of her musical notes.
The harmony was peaceful with a hint of sadness and discomfort. Tsuki felt okay, but her anxiety was slowly killing her.
She was anxious. A lot had happened these past few months. She needed a breather, something to keep her mind off the madness.
Tsuki took a deep breath as she looked at the crows as they continued to cawed at her.
Where is the way?
Tsuki was finishing up her chores now.
Today was going to be a sunny day. The sun ray's was creating an orange hue across the morning sky.
As she swept the shrine's long stairwell, Tsuki felt excited for the day.
Since she has been training hard these past few weeks, her grandfather had decided to give her a break.
Despite her anxiety, Tsuki was ecstatic. She definitely needed this day off.
Hurrying up to finish her chores, Tsuki wanted to see if Keiko was free to hang out. Since the hospital incident, they hadn't been able to spend time with each other.
Miraculously, Keiko's mother was able to get checked out the next day. However, Keiko had been helping her parents out more at their family restuarant.
She missed her friend. Keiko's presence had always had the ability to calm Tsuki's anxious mind. Her smile, kind words, and intellectual mind gave Tsuki a better understanding of where she wanted and needed to be in her life.
Last week, the girls rejoiced as they finally welcomed Yusuke back to the Human World. Tsuki was overjoyed that her friend was alive. Yet, they both knew things was not going to be the same.
She felt something was just around the corner, waiting to throw them off their feet.
But what was it? Oh, Tsuki wish she knew.
She headed towards the end of the stone well. As Tsuki walked closer, she suddenly spotted a familiar girl with bright purple hair, waiting patiently for her to come down the stairs.
"Botan!" Tsuki said in a surprised tone. She was not expecting to see the grim reaper, especially not at the bottom of the Saito Shrine staircase. "What are you doing here? I'm not seeing Yusuke until school tomorrow."
After a week of regaining his energy, Atsuko was finally able to register Yusuke back to their school.
Keiko tried to help Yusuke get back to his studies. She even offered to tutor him everyday until he was able to catch up. Despite her kind effort, Yusuke bluntly refused. He stated that it was a waste of time and he would study when Takenaka-sensei actually gave him homework.
Even after reviving from the dead, Yusuke was still the same.
"Actually," Botan said as she approached the young miko. Instead of wearing her usual pink kimono, she was now wearing modern clothes. She looked good dress in her black leather jacket and blue jeans. "I came here to see you. Lord Koenma wants to meet you."
Tsuki raised her eyebrow, trying to make sure that she heard Botan correctly.
"Who?"
"Lord Koenma, the prince of the Spirit World and the son of King Emna."
"Yes, I know who he is," Tsuki stated sharply. She didn't mean to sound rude. However, she was already getting annoyed. "Why does he want to see me?"
"Honestly, I don't know. Lord Koenma seemed very intrigued that I had met a young member of the Saito tribe. He also watched you protect Yusuke from the fire."
"He watched me protect Yusuke's body but didn't even bother to help me?"
"As a matter of fact, Lord Koenma did help but that's another story."
"Tsuki, who's this?" Grandfather Saito asked as he casually made his way down the stairwell. He thought he sensed a new energy entering the shrine.
Botan immediately bowed. "Hello sir! I am Botan, Lord Koenma's assistant. It's a pleasure to meet the elder of the Saito tribe."
Grandfather Saito bowed back, welcoming the young lady.
"Koenma? Interesting. It's been years since I have seen him."
"Grandfather!" Tsuki said, still pretty annoyed about the whole situation. This was suppose to be her Sunday off. "Apparently, Lord Koenma wants to see me."
"Hm," Grandfather Saito rubbed his white mustached. "I think that's a great idea."
You have got to be kidding me, Tsuki frustratedly thought. He didn't even think twice about his decision. She just couldn't win.
Reading her exact exasperated thoughts, Grandfather Saito turned to his stubborn granddaughter.
"Tsuki, go. Maybe seeing Koenma will give you a better understanding of your destiny."
No one can change my destiny. My mind is already made up!
Yet, instead of retorting, Tsuki only rolled her eyes, silently obliging her grandfather's wish.
She turned to the grim reaper.
"How are we getting to the Spirit World?" Tsuki questioned Botan, her brown eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me I'm flying on your oar."
"Since Yusuke was a ghost, I was able to easily take him to the Spirit World with my oar. However, since you are still a human Tsuki, we are taking a plane."
Grandfather Saito nodded.
"Very well then. Botan, I'll leave you to it," He said as he took the broom out of his granddaughter's hand. "Tsuki, I'll see you later."
Tsuki sighed as she watched her grandfather whistled his way up the stairs.
"Let's go Botan."
"Alright, follow me! I've landed the plane in the east location of your shrine. I hope you guys don't mind."
"How far are we?" Tsuki asked as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. They were hiking for thirty minutes. The sun's strong rays was already causing her to sweat.
"Not that far! We just need to get passed this rocky hill," Botan said as she easily stepped her brown combat boots on top of a large rock.
Tsuki grumbled while her sandals touched the hard rocky surface. She quietly wished she was back at the shrine.
Right now, she would have finished up her chores, taken a nice hot shower, and called her best friend.
Botan grinned at the grumpy priestess.
"Cheer up Tsuki! You are going to love seeing the Spirit World. The palace is beautiful," Botan exclaimed excitedly. "Lord Koenma is looking forward to seeing you."
"That's what I'm worried about," Tsuki muttered. She didn't know how she was going to react when she would meet him.
As they came up the rocky hill, Botan gave Tsuki support from the ground as she landed her feet on top of one large slippery rock.
"Don't worry, Tsuki. Koenma rarely pressure anyone to doing anything that they don't want to do. I'm sure he just wants to talk to you."
That helped her calm down a little bit. However, Tsuki's guard was still up.
After talking with Yusuke, Tsuki was sparring with her grandfather even more.
Of course, Grandfather Saito was very pleased that his granddaughter was taking her training seriously. He might have even thought she was considering on pursuing her priestess duties.
In a sense, she was but only because she wasn't taking any more chances. Tsuki would be 100% ready if a new enemy were to appear.
Botan let go of Tsuki's hand.
"By the way, your shrine is beautiful. I had a blast exploring it when I was riding the plane."
"Thank you."
"You also look really good wearing your miko clothes," Botan complemented, gazing at Tsuki's outfit with admiration. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you so hesitant to fulfill your spiritual duty? From what I heard, the Saito tribe were powerful spiritual warriors that were honored to use their powers to protect the Human World."
Tsuki sighed.
"It's complicated. Don't get me wrong, l strongly respect my family's tradition and spiritual powers. I even enjoy carrying out some of my priestess duties. However, I don't want to be just a priestess all of my life. I want to have freedom to do what I want to do. "
The girls continued to climb up the steep hill.
"The problem is, I wish my grandfather would understand that. When my mother was alive, she hadn't had the chance to do that. I've watched my mother be absent from home for days or even weeks. When she did come home, she would have bruises and cuts all over her body. She would always keep a warm smile on her face when she tucked me in bed even though I could see the dark bags under her eyes. She never wanted me to see her hurting, but I always knew that being a priestess was hard and disciplined work."
Botan stopped and turned to Tsuki. Her purple eyes was filled with positivity and hopefulness as she stared at Tsuki's brown ones.
"Well, if you don't mind my opinion, I think you are a great student and miko. No matter how tough the journey is, I believe you will find what you are looking for."
Tsuki broke into a smile.
"Thanks, Botan."
"No problem. It's all about balance. From what I learn from living a thousands of years, you don't have all of your life figured out. Once you let things flow, then everything will fall into place."
Let things flow
Tsuki undoubtedly needed to hear that. Instead of thinking too much on the whole priestess situation, she just need to let it be.
As they continued to walk up the steep hill, the girls finally made it to the peak of the mountain. The trail had lead them to an opening of a flat and rocky field.
In the middle of the large field, there stood a small sky blue plane.
Botan smiled brightly as she opened her arms wide.
"Here we are, isn't she a beauty? I just love flying her."
They walked towards the aircraft. It was pretty. Tsuki could tell that the plane has been used for a very long time. The outer surface needed to be repainted. She could barely read the Spirit World's name on the bottom of the passenger's door.
Botan touched the door.
"Okay! Before we enter the plane, there are some ground rules. Please, buckle yourself up, tightly. While flying, please don't touch any of the plane's equipment. And no matter what the reason is, do NOT stand inside the plane. Got it?"
Tsuki stood firmly straight and saluted with her right hand. "Yes, sergeant."
Botan chuckled and opened the plane door. "Alright, after you madam."
Tsuki entered the plane. The seats were dark gray and cleaned. When she sat down, she easily buckled herself tightly around her small waist.
Entering from the pilot side, Botan sat down and buckled her seat belt. She put the radio headset on top of her head.
"Message to the Spirit World. Botan here, I am heading towards the Spirit World's entrance with a fellow passenger."
"Alright Botan. We will be waiting," The speaker replied.
Botan gave Tsuki a thumbs up.
Tsuki genuinely smiled at the grim reaper. Even though they had only interacted a few times, she was starting to really like Botan. She was such a nice girl.
Botan pressed the red knob forward, causing the plane engine to roar back to life. As she checked the engine making sure everything was intact, she pushed the black throttle forward, allowing the plane to move straight towards the mountain peak.
She steadied the wheel as the plane to continue on increasing it's speed. Once the meter reached 55 knots. Botan gently pushed the wheel back, causing the plane to slowly lift off.
"Up we go!" Botan said as the plane easily made its way off the mountain.
Tsuki watched the forrest of her shrine slowly disappear. She wondered if her grandfather was praying to the gods about her journey.
As the plane continued to head north, the Osaka city buildings looked like tiny monuments.
Tsuki spotted her school. Since it was Sunday, the building was empty. But tomorrow, it was going to be filled with students and teachers.
She sighed. Tsuki knew that it would be a big commotion when Yusuke arrived to school on Monday. She hoped she was ready for it.
Botan maintain the plane's speed, leveling out the aircraft above the clouds.
After ten minutes of flying, Tsuki noticed a gigantic circle that portrayed the moon.
The difference was it was not made of a large rock. It was an invisible portal.
"Here it is! The entrance to the Spirit World!" Botan yelled, riding the plane straight towards it.
The first thing that Tsuki notice once the plane entered the moon was the light pinkish sky.
When she look down, she noticed a long, narrow, winding yellow trail that was surrounded by large brown mountains. The path was infinite, leading to somewhere that she couldn't see.
"This is the road of Yomi," Botan yelled. "Once the living die, they travel on this road to their determined destination."
They continued to ride, following the trail towards the castle. With the atmosphere calm and quiet with a strong presence of spiritual energy, the Spirit World reminded Tsuki of the Saito Shrine.
"Tsuki, we are almost close to the palace. Lord Koenma is at his office waiting for us," Botan exclaimed as she maneuvered the plane to the east direction.
Tsuki looked straight ahead. At first, the palace from a distance looked to be made of large mountains.
As they rode closer, she gasped.
The palace had architecture like no other in the Human World. Tsuki was fully aware that the palace had been here for over centuries.
The Japanese castle was constructed primarily of black wood and stone. A large tall white wall surrounded the outside of the palace.
The building was huge. Tsuki knew for sure that she would get lost were she given the opportunity to explore. There was a very large building in the middle that went seven stories tall, linking to dozen of medium to small buildings that were also five to one stories tall.
As Botan rode the plane past the palace, Tsuki could see gigantic ogres standing and watching inside the guard towers. Even the Spirit World needed protection from the outside.
They approached a tall building that was farthest away from the palace.
Once Botan had seen that her landing was clear, she reduce the airspeed by backing off on the throttle.
The plane began to lower down towards the landing. As the plane's speed began to slow down, Botan lowered the plane's flap while slowly pulling back the wheel.
She held the wheels steady at the plane two front wheels touched the ground. She continued to hold until the whole plane was safely intact.
As the plane finally stopped, Botan turned off the engine.
She took off her headset and smiled.
"Isn't the Spirit World beautiful?"
Tsuki nodded, still admiring the palace. She had to admit, the Spirit World was a magnificent place.
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Botan said, grinning at the priestess.
Tsuki unbuckled her seatbelt.
"No, it wasn't. You are a great tour guide Botan."
Botan laughed. "Thanks, Tsuki. If you like, I'll show you more of the palace after we are done speaking with Lord Koenma."
"Yeah, that would be nice."
Tsuki didn't mind. She knew she wouldn't revisit the Spirit World anytime soon.
The girls exited out of the plane. In front of them, stood in front of a gigantic tower with a large door. On the side, there was small speaker with a red button.
Botan pressed the button.
"This is Botan. I am here to speak with Lord Koenma. I have Tsuki with me."
"All right. Please, come in!" A loud voice echoed from the speaker.
The large door creak opened.
Tsuki and Botan entered in.
"When King Emma is away, Lord Koenma takes care of Spirit World duties," Botan stated as they walked through the long narrow hallway with polished floors.
Tsuki observed the paintings and murals of King Emma that was attached to the long walls. She had never met the king, but her grandfather had fought battles alongside him.
Grandfather Saito told her that King Emma was a ruthless king that would do anything to maintain order in the three Worlds.
The end of the hallway lead them into a large opening. Tsuki could hear noises coming from inside.
Tsuki swallowed and took a deep breath. There was no going back.
I can do this.
They entered a large busy office that was filled with a bunch of ogres, frantically walking around everywhere as they passed and delivered papers to each other.
"Here! Deliver this to section V11!"
"No, you idiot! The business letter was suppose to be sent to the Demon World, not the Human World!"
"Ugh, we have another court request!"
In the middle of the office, sitting on a chair was a toddler that could be around three years old, quickly stamping and signaturing stacks of papers on top of his desk.
The boy was wearing a pink-trimmed blue robe with a hat that had "jr" printed on it.
He looked up and turned to the ogre that was standing next to his desk.
"Jorge, give me the papers of the three demon rulers, we need to have a talk with them."
"Yes sir!"
The blonde hair ogre fled into another room.
Finally acknowledging their presence, Lord Koenma turned his eyes on the girls.
"So you're Tsuki Saito," Koenma said as he watched Tsuki with curious brown eyes, sucking on his blue pacifier.
He was a very cute baby. Tsuki wanted to squeeze his chubby cheeks.
She bowed at the prince. "And you must be Lord Koenma. It's very nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine. I've known the Saito family for a very long time. Your grandfather had always helped us in a time of need. It's too bad he retired."
Tsuki nodded, remembering all the stories her grandfather had told her. He was very proud of his memories and accomplishments.
"And Aiya. She was one of my strongest spiritual warriors. It's very unfortunate that she died," Koenma sighed. "She had so much potential. You know, I was there when she gave birth to you. She loved you so much."
"Thank you," Tsuki said. She meant it. Hearing that her mother's tenderness towards her brought warmness in her heart.
Tsuki missed her even more.
"You even know Urameshi! Long time friends! As you already know, with my assistance, he was able to be revived. That boy has the potential to become a great spirit detective. I'm sure you will help him through his troubles."
Tsuki coughed.
"Excuse me, I am not really a fan of small talk. Why did you summon me here?"
Koenma pressed his palms together.
"As you are fully aware, I don't want to pressure you to do anything, Tsuki. I just came here to talk."
Tsuki waited for him to continue.
"When Botan mentioned that she met one of members of the Saito tribe, I immediately knew it was Aiya's daughter. Since we haven't introduced ourselves, I was very curious on how you grew up. Tsuki, watching you slay that fire demon was amazing. You definitely have the Saito's spiritual powers running through your veins."
Jorge came back into the room with a large stack of papers, putting them on the side of the desk.
"As what Botan informed me, I know you want to graduate from high school. But what are your plans afterwards? Tsuki, your spiritual powers are a gift. It'll be shame to not use it for good use. Are you planning on becoming a spiritual warrior?"
Tsuki bit her lip. So that's why he wanted to talk to her. Lord Koenma wanted to see if he could use her in the future.
Yes, she was going to use her spiritual powers but not the way he wanted. Tsuki was not her mother. She was going to live her life differently.
"You see Koenma, I-"
Suddenly, a loud alarm system erupted in the room, causing everyone to stop what they were doing. Red lights began flashing everywhere.
"Red alert! Red alert!" A loudspeaker yelled.
Tsuki covered her ears. The sound reminded her of the police sirens back at home.
A young girl around Botan's age, ran into the office. She had dark black hair and was wearing a black kimono.
Everyone turned to her as she caught her breath to speak.
"Ayame, what's going on?" Koenma asked his assistant.
Ayame gave Koenma a frightened look.
"Lord Koenma, the vault has been opened!"
Koenma slammed his hands on the desk.
"What?! Where are the guards?"
"I don't know. The radio cut off when I tried to contact them. The thieves are still there. They are trying to take the dark treasures!"
Koenma immediately grabbed the radio from his desk and pressed the talk button.
"This is a code blue. I repeat, code blue! Call for backup. Tell my army we will meet them at the vault!"
Koenma got up from his chair.
"Tsuki, Botan, you are coming with me. Ayame, make sure the troops are on there way," He said as he went to the middle between the two girls, taking off his pacifier and lifted it in the air.
The pacifier began to glow bright white, creating a large circle around their area.
Tsuki felt butterflies coming from her stomach as the circle began to glow and surround their space.
Noticing her nervousness, Botan grabbed Tsuki's hand, squeezing it tight as the circle created a long wall sphere in front of them.
Tsuki closed her eyes. The portal felt like she was in roller coaster, going slow then fast by a few seconds.
As the feeling stopped, Tsuki opened her eyes. They were now in a different section in the palace, standing in front of another large tinted door.
This time, she could see that someone or something had damaged the door. It was tilted inwards with a large hole in the middle.
Standing in front of the entrance were a group of thirty tall ogres.
They were much different from the ogres that she had seen inside the office. They looked meaner, bulkier, and were wearing silver armor.
The tallest one with a solid red stamp on his armor, saluted Lord Koenma.
"My lord, the thieves are still inside the vault. We are ready for your orders," The head general said as his army grunted and snorted in agreement.
Koenma stood in front of the ogres with determination and willpower. His innocent persona transformed into royalty and authority.
"You shoot on my command. Those treasures can not leave this vault. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir!"
"Follow me!" Lord Koenma ordered as they strolled into the entrance. His tiny legs trailing and leading them as they entered a long dark hallway.
The large group walked in silence, prepare to strike by any given sound or slight movement.
The dim hallway was narrowed as they traveled down to the vault. Ten ogres marched in front while the rest walked in back.
Tsuki, Botan, and Lord Koenma walked in the middle.
"Everyone! We do not know who or what we are dealing with. Be ready for anything!" Koenma instructed.
"Yes sir!"
Tsuki didn't know why and how this all happened. She was just at the shrine getting ready for her day. Now, she was in the Spirit World confronting unknown thieves.
"Botan, what are the dark treasures?" Tsuki whispered to the grim reaper.
"The main Spirit World vault holds three dark artifacts of terrible power: the Forlorn Hope, the Shadow Sword, and the Orb of Baast. The Orb of Baast can steal a person's soul, the Shadow Sword can command an entire demonic army, and the Forlorn Hope can fulfill its user's greatest desire. If these treasures are taken by the wrong hands, the Spirit, Human, and Demon World could be in grave danger."
No wonder Koenma is so anxious, Tsuki thought as she eyed the worried prince.
"Everyone, we are entering the main vault's room. Get ready for any attack," The head general yelled upfront.
Tsuki's bracelet transformed into her divine bells, her right hand firmly gripping her weapon. She was now being extremely cautious of this situation.
"Halt!" The head general ordered as the entered the room.
They suddenly stopped. The guards unlock the safety in their guns. They were now in a silent dark room.
"I need light!" Lord Koenma yelled.
One of the guards turn on the light near the door.
What they saw next was unexpected.
The ogres loudly grunted.
Tsuki and Botan gasped at the scene.
In the room, there were dozen of dead soldiers lying on the hard surface floor.
It was a massacre. There was blood scattered everywhere. Some ogres had missing limbs. Some ogres had thorns vines wrapped around their bodies. Others had holes and cut slices around their face and body parts.
Tsuki covered her mouth. Her gut tightened as she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Who could have done such a thing?
Koenma ran to one of the dying who was barely conscious. He had a large gash on his left shoulder.
"Soldier! Are you alright?! Where are they?!"
The soldier opened his right eye.
"Still in the vault...We tried to stopped them but they easily defeated us…..We closed the vault so they wouldn't get out...but I don't know how long the door...can keep them shut….Be careful...Lord Koenma."
The guard closed his eyes.
Koenma gave out a frustrated yell.
"Surround the vault! We can't let them escape!"
The guards immediately surrounded the vault door, their guns ready to fire on the prince's command.
Koenma, Botan, and Tsuki stood in the middle, behind the head general and three other soldiers.
The soldiers' main mission were to retrieve the treasures, but they needed to make sure the prince stayed safe.
The room turned silent as they eagerly waited for thieves to come out.
Tsuki heart was beating rapidly, her brown anxious eyes staring at the vault. She didn't know how long they were waiting. Maybe five or ten minutes, maybe five or ten seconds.
Boom!
"Everyone, stay in your position!" The general yelled.
The soldiers remained in their spot. There was no turning back now.
Boom!
Tsuki gulped. She didn't know what was coming out of the vault, but she prayed that she could just return home safely.
Boom!
The final pound pushed the vault door out of the wall, heading straight towards Tsuki's section.
They barely dash to safety as the door collided with the wall.
Tsuki quickly got up from the ground. She instantly spotted the thieves. There were three of them.
They weren't human. Tsuki knew that for sure. Their auras was different. Two was dark red. The other one was light purple.
The guards came forward, pointing their guns directly at the thieves.
"Intruders! Put your hands up or we will shoot-"
The first person that Tsuki noticed had monstrous features. The nine feet tall demon grinned evilly as he easily used his upper body strength to knock the soldiers to the side.
The other one had long, vibrant red hair with green eyes, easily dodging the ogres' shots without batting an eye. He appeared to be dancing, weaving in and out of the shots that raced passed him. His calm expression never changed once, radiating a calm aura that contrasted starkly with his peers.
The shortest one, with a crazy grin on his face, was effortlessly cutting the spirit soldiers in half. Despite the blood that splattered on his face, he seem to be enjoying every minute of destroying the S3960256pirit soldiers.
They were quick! Tsuki stood shocked and amazed by their power, she barely had time to see the short one coming straight towards her.
He blurred pass Tsuki, causing a force that felt like a strong gust of wind that would surely knock her off her feet. She instinctively used her divine bells to block his sword from behind.
The boy jumped back and smirked devilishly at her. His crimson eyes staring intensely at her own brown ones.
"Hmph, nice block priestess," He said as his partners were trailing right behind him.
"No fair, Hiei. You can't have fun right now," The large demon mocked. "We still need to escape from these bozos."
Koenma pointed his baby thumb towards the running thieves.
"Surround them! Don't let them escape!"
The ogres that were still standing stopped firing and began forming a circle around them.
The thieves stood in the middle of the floor. Their backs were against each other as they faced the Spirit guards.
"Hmph, you're right Goki, but it looks like we're surrounded," Hiei said as he held out his sword.
Botan lightly tugged Tsuki's hand.
"Tsuki, let's stay back. We don't want to get in this mess."
Tsuki quietly obliged.
Koenma stood in the middle of the head general. The other ogres frantically waited for his command.
"We have you surrounded. In the name of the Spirit World and my father, King Emma, I order you to surrender and release those treasures!"
The thieves stayed in their position, unphased by the angry and wounded guards.
Hiei glanced at his red-haired partner.
"Kurama, will you do the honors?"
Kurama, the calm and silent one of the group, took a medium size black glass ball out of his pocket. Everyone looked on in silence while Kurama seem to stare at the ball lost in thought. All of a sudden, he smashed the jewel into the ground. A dark cloud emerged from the wreck and rapidly filled the room, hiding the demons from view.
Koenma coughed hard and shielded the smoke from his eyes.
"Soldiers, stand your ground!" He yelled. If the guards fired their bullets towards the smoke, they may hit each other.
The guards held their fire as the smoke continued to filled up the room.
The girls stood behind the soldiers, covering themselves and anxiously waiting to see what was going to happen next.
Losing patience, with a wave of his hand, Koenma easily dispelled most of the dark smoke. Audible gasps could be heard amongst the soldiers as it became alarmingly clear that the thieves had escaped.
"T-they're gone!" A soldier yelled.
"That's impossible. How?!" Another soldier asked.
Koenma turned to his soldiers, determined to find the missing culprits.
"There's no time to waste! Guards, they must have headed outside! Stop them from leaving the Spirit World!"
"Yes sir!"
The guards quickly exited the room, following the path back to the entrance of the vault.
The head general stayed behind to talk to Koenma.
"Lord Koenma, if I may, let us handle searching the intruders outside. The ogres that are protecting the front entrance of the castle are already searching for the thieves."
Koenma nodded. "Very well. Keep me updated."
He quickly turned back to girls.
"Botan, Tsuki, let's go. We are heading back to my office. There's still much to do."
Tsuki was relieved to get back. This had definitely gotten out of hand.
Koenma was walking back and forth, frantically sucking his pacifier as he thought of a plan.
To their dismay, the three thieves successfully escaped with the three treasures.
While ogres continued to try to find their exact location the others were fixing the damage in the vault room.
Tsuki and Botan were patiently sitting in their chairs, daring not to disturb the young prince.
Ayame came into the office. She was now holding a piece of paper in her hand.
"Lord Koenma, we detected the thieves energy. They are headed to the Naniwa Ward district."
That's in Osaka, Tsuki desperately thought. What were the odds of that happening?
Koenma finally sat on his desk and put his head on top of the table in defeat.
"I only have a couple of days until my father comes back from his vacation. If he notices the treasures are not in the vault, then I'm going to be in big trouble."
Botan gave her prince a worried look.
"Lord Koenma, we need to send someone to retrieve the treasures immediately. That way, your father wouldn't even notice the treasures were gone."
"Who could retrieve them?" Koenma asked as he slightly lifted his tiny head up.
Botan and Koenma simultaneously turned towards Tsuki.
"Tsuki, I know this may be too much to ask, but will you help us?"
Can I help? Tsuki desperately thought.
If she did assist Koenma, would she be able to defeat the thieves and retrieve the treasures? If the thieves could easily escape the Spirit World army, what could she possibly do to stop them? Was her spiritual powers even strong enough?
But, if Tsuki were to say no, who could they run to for help? Yusuke? He definitely wasn't ready to face those demons. She couldn't even fathom the thought of Yusuke dying again and watching Keiko's heartbreak.
Tsuki was faced with a major dilemma. What would her mother do?
Mother
Tsuki eyes furrowed. All of her memories that she repressed for so long came back just an instant. She might get killed, sharing the same unfortunate fate as her mother.
However, her friends and grandfather would be in danger. She couldn't allowed that to happen.
Tsuki got up from her seat slowly.
"Yes, I'll help you." She said, firmly. After all, she was the daughter of Aiya Saito. "But first, I'll need to speak with my grandfather."
Koenma eyes lit up, a small smile spread across his face.
"That's not a problem. We will start the mission tomorrow. Thank you so much, Tsuki. It's a pleasure to be working with a Saito member again."
He gave Tsuki a bow.
"Botan, see that Tsuki makes it home safely."
"Yes sir."
Tsuki bowed to the prince.
"Thank you, Lord Koenma."
"The pleasure was all mine. Thank you for helping us."