Author's note: a very, very old story. I'm rather dissatisfied with the first few chapters (pretty cliché and not very nicely written) but couldn't bring myself to change them much as they link me to my past. Same for some ideas in the later chapters. Sorry about that. It does get better with time though.

As usual, the OC is inserted in the canon story and basically follows the anime/manga.

And as usual: all original Yu Yu Hakusho characters, plots, settings and so on belong to Togashi Yoshihiro-sama and other rightful owners. I'm not one of those of course (well, no duh). But the OC and oc-related ideas belong to me. This fanfiction is purely for entertainement and I don't get anything from it.

File 01: So much for a come back gift

That was the end. Three years. She had been away for three long years. And now, she was returning as promised. Those three years had been the time limit given to her, the essential precondition for her being permitted to leave. Now she had to return home, return to school (strings would be pulled to allow her back into the system) and at least safely graduate from junior high. However, those three years had not seemed that long to her. In exchange for the protection of a certain object, she was granted the right freely move between the realms. And she had been travelling in the Makai (Demon World). As a human it has been rather difficult to say the least but she had something to achieve and for that she had to always get stronger and stronger. If she won, she lived, if she lost she died. That was exactly what she wanted and needed. Always seeking those stronger than her and winning. And still, many times, she had lost. But she had been lucky enough to stumble upon opponents who took an interest in her potential. She lost and learned, although she hated relying on things as incertain as luck or other people. They tended to disappear right when you needed them, sometimes regardless of anyone's will.

She was now fifteen, and a lot more powerful. But of course her dear grand-ma certainly was still going call her stupid, weakling and things like that upon her return. Evil grand-ma… The girl growled and scowled deeply. That rotten old hag may be the great Genkai but still. Well, that was nothing unusual. Displays of affection between them had always been colorful or violent. They greeted, identified each other and communicated through confrontation. That was the kind of thing that made you want to leave and in the same time made you feel right at home. The night breeze couldn't even calm her as she flicked away her mid-back pink hair in annoyance, remembering the four years of hell… errr… training she had with her when her parents died - she was still amazed she didn't complain that much – and she was also thinking about what would await her upon her return.

But before the young human could go further in her curses, her keen hearing was able to catch a faint sound, like a scream, a scream of pain. And it was coming from Koenma's vault. She smirked. A little fun before going to greet that binky breath and give him her report... A perfect occasion to test herself. Save people? That's only a side-effect. She took off running and arrived there not a few minutes later seeing guards on the ground. She went in trying to catch their scent. They must have been really strong, and well organized to have broken in the vault like that, meaning she had to be reasonably careful. She ran soundlessly, her golden eyes trying to pierce the darkness, until she heard two, no, three sets of footsteps coming her way. She quickly hid in a corner and waited a few seconds before jumping out in the middle of the way and firing non-stop with her own spirit gun for ten seconds down. But she had kept her power to a minimum. She didn't want to kill, just test and have fun. When the smoke cleared three men were standing there. They had a number of more or less severe cuts and bruises and their clothes were tattered. Being now used to darkness she could see a bishounen, rather tall, about her age with long red hair and green eyes, he had a whip in his hand covered with thorns. This guy must have power over plants and judging by the rosy scent emanating from him, rose was his favourite one. The next one wasn't so bad either, though on the contrary he was kinda ….small, with cold red eyes and gravity defying hair. She would have laughed if his bloodied sword and his power didn't tell her to keep quiet. The last one was really ugly and muscular. And he stinked. From what she could see they had stolen three artefacts: a mirror, a sword and a sphere-like thingy. She didn't know what these things could do but she knew they were here for a good reason and must not leave this place. Her mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts but of course she wouldn't dare show any emotion.

"I don't know who you are and I don't care but you really should put these things back in place."

"You think you can beat us little girl? You're human and alone and we're three powerful demons! But if you bow and call us master we might take you as our first slave." Ugly said laughing stupidly.

The girl sighed before punching him in the jaw not a second later sending him flying backward, stopping in the same time the sword coming at her neck. Her spirit energy shielding her like a three-centimetres armor. She smirked at the red-eyed demon quickly breaking his blade with her hand and kicking him in the guts.

She then burned the plants aiming at her engulfing them in her breath of fire. She could then the sword freak's attacks but she was unable to prevent a thorny whip from making a gash on her arm. She landed safely a few meters away, and immediately went to attack again but fell on one knee gasping clutching her chest in pain, spitting out blood, she suddenly had trouble to breath. She glanced at her arm to see that her injury had taken a weird color. Damn that bishi boy, the thorns must have been poisoned. And it was taking effect way too quickly to her liking. Drunk on her own power, she had not expected to encounter such a smart one immediately upon her return and she had been careless. Knowing it would be too dangerous to try close combat with these guys in her current state if they covered for each other, she decided to try another thing. Since they had a big perimeter, especially flower boy, there was only one thing she could do.

"So what little girl? We're too much for you?" The stupid gorilla said smugly. He had finally recovered from her initial attack.

"Why did you fight us? You have nothing to do with it." Bishi boy asked. His voice was firm but she knew he didn't want to fight her. Not like Grumpy-kun.

"Hn, I say we just kill her and go. She's wasting our time."

"Well I fight you because the owner of this vault is a friend of mine. I doubt you plan on using these things for a good reason. And I wanted a lil fight. But don't think too high of yourselves. You only got me because one of you can use his brain. But I'm not done yet!" She chuckled and shouted, throwing at them the strong wind attack she had been preparing, engulfing them in whirlwinds. She coughed blood again.

The wind died down and the demons were covered with numerous bloody kama-itachis (cuts caused by the emptiness created by a whirlwind). And some were quite deep. But due to the poison her attack was not as strong as it should have been: only the idiot was down. Grumpy-kun had driven his new sword into the ground and held onto it and the fox had used his rose whip to stay attached. The fire demon got up fully, stumbled a bit and then stood steady, taking back his sword, he looked at her, his red eyes burning with hatred.

"You... you... wench you die NOW!" He yelled, making his move to attack the now almost helpless girl, with the poison and the energy she had spent on that last attack, can't exactly say she was in top condition but even though she had lost that bet she would never back down. She stood up with much difficulty waiting for him.

"Hiei! NO! Come, we don't have time, the guards are coming. We must go now." Pretty fox said.

"Hn, you're lucky that you're a girl and Kurama a ladies man." That Hiei said running away, taking the other guy with him. Her golden eyes widened, she must still stall for the guards to come and arrest them. She glared and snarled, it wasn't finished. But Kurama stayed behind.

"It IS finished. Don't worry the poison is not lethal. I'm sorry." And with that he ran off to his friends. The human cursed them under her breath and tried to follow them in her quickly weakening state, she could barely stand.

Unfortunately the guards didn't arrest the three demons but her, not a minute after they had left her here, she hadn't walked very far. Guess they hadn't found them or even seen them. They half dragged her half carried her to a place she hadn't been in in years: Koenma's office. And even in her half-conscious state she wondered if he still were the bratty yet cute toddler she had known him as. Her vision was getting blurry.

"Koenma-sama? Here is the thief who stole the artifacts." She heard a guard say, a little ahead of her. She managed to look up to somehow distinguish the outline of baby Koenma transforming into his rather nice teenage form (too bad he still has his binky). She could still hear him shout.

"Akari! Let her go! I'm sure she has nothing to do with it!"

She smiled weakly at him.

"Hiiii, Ko-chan. Sorry, I couldn't …ca…" But she didn't get to finish her sentence as he rushed to her and caught her as she fell. She had already drowned in her own darkness.