So let me see it has been

So let me see it has been…four years since I have typed an actual chapter for this story. I have something to say to all you loyal readers. SORRY! I am so sorry that is took me so long to give you all a new chapter. I am a lazy little girl.

On the plus side, I have got three chapters already planned out in my mind. All I have to do now is type them up. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It took me an hour and forty-five minutes to write the outline in Algebra II.

Now without further ado.

Chapter 4: Where There Is a Will, There Is A Way

When Kurama returned to the human world, it was ironic how the weather that night resemboled his current emotions. As Kurama stepped out of the portal, that lead from Reikai to the human world, he felt tiny droplets of water penetrate the warmth of his Casmir sweater along with a gusts of wind that had to be going 40mph.

With weather being this fierce a normal human would be shivering from the bone chilling rain being blown by mighty gusts of wind but, Kurama could not feel nature's wrath. The kitsun was still numb from his visit with Koenma. All that was on his mind was his beloved deity. His body on auto mode, Kurama walked through the forest on Genkai's estate to the nearest bus stop on the side of the road.

Once a bus arrived the kitsun, still oblivious to his surroundings, board the bus toward the direction of his house.

'What will my next move be' thought Kurama as he leaned against the window on the bus. Many ideas came into his mind as he waited for the bus to arrive into the city that he lived in. Sadly those ideas were shot down every time when he thought of the "what if" down fall of each idea.

After what seemed like minuets but, actually hours the bus driver rang a bell that brought of kitsun out of his thoughts.

"Hey kid, we're in the city of Kahoku. Is this your stop? There is only one more stop after this and it is in Hakui." Yelled the bus driver to the back of the bus where Kurama sat.

"Yes it is. Thank you sir for informing me of the stop" Said Kurama as he walked past the driver, waiting for the doors of the bus to open. Already noticing that the weather had not let up since he first got on the bus.

"No problem. Get home safe kid" Were the last words from the elderly driver as he opened the doors of the bus. Immediately after Kurama got out of the bus the doors shut with a swoosh sound.

From where the bus driver had left Kurama he only had a short distant to walk till he would reached his home. Not wasting time Kurama used his yokai speed to run towards his family's house. Once he arrived at the front door he pulled his house keys out of his pants pocket. He hoped that his late arrival home would not disturb his family. It was eleven thirty and he knew his family, to all go to bed early.

With the turn of his house keys the door opened. The house was pitch black save for a tiny light illuminating from a small table that stood next to the stairs that lead to the second floor of the house. Kurama walked toward the table to find a yellow note lying their with his mothers familiar hand writing on it. He picked up the note and began to read the letter.

Dear Shuichi,

An emergency came up with your father's mother. She was found fainted on the side walk next to the mailbox outside of her house. A neighbor called for an ambulance and she is right now at the hospital in the intensive care unite...

The hospital called the house during dinner and said that they think that she might have suffered from a seizure; the family is heading to Hakaido to watch over her. We will be gone for a couple of weeks. Please take care of the house in our absence.

Love,

Mom

He put the note back down on the table. If it were any other day the kitsun would be genuinely worried for his step fathers mother but, today he could only think of the situation at hand with Botan. He brushed the recent news of his family out of his mind, thinking that how he would have no string attached when he would leave for Makai. He would not have to worry about lying to his parents about going on a "school field trip".

He made his way up the stairs, ignoring the rumbling of his stomach.

When he arrived at the threshold of his room he immediately felt a familiar aura on the other side of the door. 'To what do I owe this visit from you, Hiei?' questioned Kurama in a nonchalant tone.

'Still perturbed from the earlier events with the toddler, I see' responded Hiei as the door of Kurama's room opened to reveal the kitsun walking in. The fire demon noticed the disheveled wet clothing that adorned the tall, slim, slightly muscular figure of Kurama. 'I thought you to be smarter then that kitsun, allowing yourself to be vulnerable to the elements'

"All that matters to me at the moment Hiei, is getting to Makai, and competing in this ridicules tournament" Stated Kurama as he walked toward the closet to the far left of his room. He opened the closet door, reaching up to retrieve a simple brown looking duffel bag on a top shelf.

"Just how do you plan to get into the tournament Kitsun, without the brat noticing?" Hiei asked as he watched Kurama walk across the room, collecting different items to put into the duffel bag. "Surly you are not just going to enter under an alias name"

"You under estimate me dear friend. You of all people know me to always have a plan" Answered Kurama as he looked over his shoulder at the fire demon, as he zipped up his bag. Once the bag was zipped the kitsun turned toward Hiei.

"There is one thing that needs to be done before my plan can actually work…," Murmured Kurama, as he looked at Hiei, Thinking of the one key element that would be needed for his plan to succeed.

"Hiei, I will be, needing your assistance in retrieving the fruit of past life. Could you collect the fruit from Reikai for me? I would do it myself but, I will be mentally preparing for the ordeal I am about to go through. If you can't…"

"I'll help you but, only because I wish to see that sick basterd dead" Cut in Hiei as he walked toward the open window in Kurama's room. "Where will I be able to find you after I, obtain the plant?"

Kurama was at his student desk writing with a ball point pen on a piece of college ruled lined paper while Hiei was talking.

"You will find me at Youko's old hide out" Replied Kurama as he finished writing on the paper.

With that answer Hiei jumped out the window and out into the darkness of the night sky.

With Hiei gone Kurama picked up the paper he was writing with his left hand and then picked up the duffel bag, and placed it on his right shoulder. Kurama walked toward the open door that led to the hallway from his room. He walked down the stairs of his house till he was standing by the same table that had his mother's note. He silently placed his note to the right of his mother's note.

With the note on the table, Kurama walked toward the front door and placed his hand on the door knob. In a swift movement he turned the knob and walked out of his house.

"Why do I get the funny feeling that we've been ditched?" Asked Yusuke out loud, as he and Kuwabara walked the vast halls of Koenma's palace.

After leaving the toddler lord's office Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei headed toward the ferry girls bed room. For along time Yusuke thought that Kurama held feelings for Botan, and when Koenma stated that Yusuke would be fighting in the tournament, he felt a dark aura surrounding the kitsun. When Yusuke looked Kurama's way he noticed a deathly glair in his eyes, the glair directed toward the spirit lord.

No words were needed for Yusuke to know what he had to do. Hiei beat him to the punch when he told the three men to follow him to Botan's room to go look around for "evidence". Kuwabara protested, not catching on to the act Hiei had begun. Once the door shut they left the office immediately, so not to bring suspension to them selves. Yusuke was just going to ask Kurama later, about what was going on between himself, Botan and Koenma.

Once the boys reached Botan's room, all three men were able to feel a rise in intense energy illuminating off of Kurama. This feeling lasted for about thirty minuets. Finally at the end of the conversation they felt the kitsun's energy suddenly dissipate and in minuets disappear.

Yusuke was about to go rush out of Botan's room when Hiei suddenly appeared right in front of the door way. Hiei warned the spirit detective not to leave the room, explaining in a few words that if he rushes into the brat's office he will only be making it worse for the kitsun. With those words spoken, Hiei vanished from the room. The two men waited for a little while till curiosity got the better of them.

Here they were now, walking the halls, heading toward their employers office.

As Kuwabara and Yusuke reached the door they heard voices coming from the other side of the door. One they noted belonged to a woman the other had a more masculine tone and was shouting.

"Uremeshi do you think you should be doing that?" Asked Kuwabara, as he watched his best friend put his left ear to the door.

"Shut your mouth, I can't make out what they are saying with you asking stupid questions" Snapped the smaller of the two men.

"Fine…Move your ass over so I can hear too then" Kuwabara whispered in a hush tone as he positioned his body next to Yusuke's.

"Lord Koenma why are you doing this?!"

"I suggest you change your tone with me Ayame, my word is law in this palace!"

Silence suddenly filled the room which that threat uttered from Koenma's mouth. Ayame and Koenma started their argument when Ayame noticed Kurama abruptly leave the tiny lords office. Having papers in her hand already that needed to be signed, she now found a reason to talk to the spirit lord.

Right when she walked into the office, the smashing of fiests was heard coming from the direction of the young lord's desk. Ayame shut her dark eyes in fear and stepped back on her right foot in fear. She then asked her lord why he was so angry and why one of the spirit detectives left so suddenly.

Koenma needing someone to vent to, told his second in command ferry girl what had happened before she came into his office. Giving every detail of the conversation he had with Kurama, even showing her the video that Shiruko sent him.

While Ayame listened to the story, she slowly put together piece of past conversations she had with her friend Botan. She remembered quite well talking with her friend, in which most stories the blue haired deity told glorified the red header spirit detective.

Ayame had even gone so far sometimes as to tease her dear friend, about how she sounded like a love struck school girl, when she talked about Kurama. Usually they would both laugh it off. It was clear though, by the blush that appeared on the blue haired, ferry girls face that she had deeper feeling for the kitsun then she let on.

Now after hearing the story, she was touched by the devotion and love the kitsun had for her friend.

Wanting to try to help her friend, Ayame started to argue on the behalf of Kurama. What first started as a simple question, as to why Koenma wouldn't allow the kitsun to compete in the tournament, turned into a full on shouting argument between the dark haired ferry girl and the spirit lord.

The silence lasted for two minuets, till Ayame turned on her right foot towards the door. Her back to Koenma she uttered in a low voice…

"You must be willing to let go of the life you have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for others and yourself, lord Koenma"

Ayame waited for a reaction from the spirit lord. Alas Koenma's response was him silently leaving the office through the other door in the room. With a heavy sigh, she opened the heavy wood door enough for her to slip her body through the opening, totally unaware of the two men standing outside the door...

"Do you hear any thing?"

"Nah but, I…WAHHHH!" Before the orange haired human could finish what he was saying. The door began to open. A small domino effect began to take place with Yusuke and Kuwabara's bodies. Lying on the cold tiled floor now was Yusuke, with Kuwabara's massive body lying on his legs.

As the spirit detectives fell on top of each other, the dark haired ferry girl yelped in terror.

"Oh it is you two. What do I own this pleasant…Ahh…Surprise from you two?" asked Ayame, in a squeaky, mousy voice. It only took second for her to gain her composure of the situation. "You wouldn't be spying on Koenma and myself, now would you?" When Ayame asked this question her voice now spoke with more of an assertive tone.

Looking up, Yusuke noticed the angry expression that was present on the dark haired ferry girl's face.

"Ayame, Heya! Ahh we were just passing by when we ahh… Heard… No… Ahh… Saw…Something…. And ahh…" Yusuke tried to come up with an excuse to cover up his and Kuwabara's spying but, he couldn't seem to come up with any good reason for their "passing by".

"Ohhh please Ayame don't turn us in! It was all Uremeshi's idea, I am totally innocent!!" Kuwabara pleaded with Ayame to not tell Koenma what they were doing. He had heard of the harsh, punishments Koenma has issued in the past, and did not want the wrath of the tiny spirit lord to be used on him.

"WHAT?! Don't blame it all on me doofus, you could've protested!" Yelled Yusuke, in a loud voice. While his friend was begging Ayame not to punish him, a thought came to the dark haired boys mind. Kuwabara was still on his legs.

"Oh yeah, Kuwabara."

"Yeah, Uremeshi?" Asked Kuwabara in a clueless tone of voice.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" While he was shouting at his best friend, Yusuke forcefully shoved Kuwabara off of him. The end result left the dark haired teen getting up off the grown, while the carrot top found himself flat on his back.

"Why did you have to do that!? I would have gotten up if you would have given me a chance." Cried an angry Kuwabara, as he sat his body up on the floor. While he slowly got up, Kuwabara wiped the dust off his clothes from his recent fall.

"Yeah, Yeah Whatever…"

"If you two are finish, I would like the truth as to why you were ease dropping on Koenma and I"

"The truth is…We or should I say I, wanted to talk with Koenma as to why he picked me for the tournament thing. It's obvious that Kurama should be the one to go and compete in that wack job's little game. Besides…" Yusuke paused when he thought of his two friends. It's so obvious that those two belong together. A smile crossed his face.

"Besides what Yusuke?" Questioned both Ayame and Kuwabara.

"Oh yeah. Besides I heard what you and Koenma were talking about. And what I thought was right about fox boy. I thought that he had a thing for Botan." Replied the young spirit detective is a soft voice.

Ayame closed her eyes softly, a small smile started to grace her face. Alone the dark haired ferry girl knew she couldn't really help her friend, but with the spirit detectives help she now had renewed hope.

"Mr. Uremeshi and Mr. Kuwabara, would you considered helping me?" Asked Ayame, as she lifted her arms up and out and placed her hands on Yusuke's arms.

"With what?" Asked a suspicious Yusuke as he stud befuddled in what was going to be asked of him.

"Will you two help me make sure that Kurama wins?"

"How do you know that he is even competing?"

"From what Botan has said to me. She says that Kurama always keeps his word." Stated the Ayame then she continued on to say "I remember lord Koenma telling me that Kurama vowed to tell Botan his feelings."

"How will Kurama get into the tournament? Won't that Shiruko guy and Koenma notice if Kurama somehow entered the tournament?" Pondered Kuwabara aloud with a questionable look on his face.

"I don't know but, I do know that I am not going to start underestimating Kurama just yet…"

Yusuke took Ayame's right hand in his left hand.

"We'll do whatever you want us to do Ayame"

The last words Ayame said to Koenma were a quote from Joseph Campbell. I hope that you all liked this updated chapter. I am seriously sorry that it took me so long to update. I will be updateing at the very least once a month. My goal is to update once a week. Hope you enjoy this story!