A/N: Hello and welcome, as you might have noticed this is a Yu Yu Hakusho fic and is in fact a Hiei/OC but that won't come around for some time. It is set after Yusuke's time in the Makai by exactly one year. Kuwabara, Keiko, and Kurama are all finished with high school and are planning to attend a University. In Kurama's case, as he is one year older (in human years) he has already finished one year at Uni. Yusuke bothered to finish his junior high education but opted out of going to High school as it would be too "troublesome" and Keiko had already finished while he was away anyway. That makes Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Keiko 19 years old, while Kurama is 20. Yusuke does own the Ramen stand. Figured I should give a tiny bit of back story before starting the fic. Also, I have another fic on here called Atlas Shrugged that I'm still working on but I started it years ago and don't much like how it is turning out. Especially after I went on an extremely long hiatus, my writing style has changed a bit and I wanted to give a different type of story a go. I am really going to try my best on this one. I am also going to try writing from the first person perspective, which will be a first fan fic wise for me. Excuse the super long author's note I am sure you guys didn't bother to read! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do own my original characters and that's something at least. I'm not making any money from writing this.

Warnings: As with any of my fics I always put some warnings in, I am a mature adult so more than likely there will be mature themes in this fic. There will definitely be foul language, violence, blood and gore and possibly some sexual themes later on. It is rated M for a reason so please do not read if you're a sensitive type of person. Also, this is Un-Beta, so forgive any mistakes I will inevitably make no matter how much I edit and updates will only come when I have the time or I feel like updating, not a second sooner. If you can put up with the sporadic updates you're awesome.

. . .

I was six years old when my parents died. I don't remember much of them anymore, which is slightly depressing but I have photos that help me recall their faces when I feel like I'm starting to forget too much. It was winter then and a fresh layer of snow had fallen that night. My sister, Hitomi, and I had been spending time with our grandparents for the holiday season and we were tucked safely into our beds when the call came. My grandmother knew immediately that something was wrong. No one called their home that early in the morning. I could hear her crying from upstairs, well after the sun rose.

Our grandparents having to sit us down and break the news that we would be living with them from then on had been just as hard on them as it had been on us. My little five year old self could not fathom why it had become necessary for Hitomi and me to move away. I conveniently blocked out the fact I would never see my parents again. In all honesty… I was a brat.

I put a lot of strain and anguish on my grandparents after my world was shattered to pieces. Hitomi was more tolerant but I caught her crying in her bed almost every night.

My grandparents were very old, even at that time but they took good care of us until we had both turned 16. Hitomi and I were twins, but we didn't share the same birthday. I was born at 11:58 PM on December 1st and Hitomi was born at 12:01 AM on December 2nd making me the older twin by three minutes. My mom had told us her and our dad had to battle their way to the hospital in the middle of a blizzard.

It was one of my father's favorite stories to tell us because he had been so scared he might have ended up needing to deliver us himself. My dad was a respectable man, but certainly no doctor. He was a humble college professor – all his students had loved him but that was to be expected. My dad…he was a sweet man. He had always freely given love and support to people in need.

As for my mother, she had worked as a waitress at a diner most of her life. So long she had been there, that is where my parents had met and fallen in love. After my mother's untimely death, the diner's owner had closed the place down only a few short years later. They had built an apartment complex in its place.

Anyway, at 16 my grandparents had simply become too old to provide for us and me, being much more responsible by then, set out to find a new place for my sister and me. The job hunt had come first, and much like my mom I ended up a waitress at some high end restaurant I was forced to dress up for every day. As for Hitomi, she found work at a department store selling beauty products. She hated every second of it.

We moved out of my grandparents with no resentment in our hearts, but a little bit of pain for having to leave them. Pain that would become worse when they died a couple of years later, a mere months apart from each other, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

The apartment we eventually found within our salary was in a shadier part of the city – We lived in Yokohama at the time, though eventually I moved to Tokyo – and Hitomi's job required her to take a bus and then walk another four blocks to reach our building.

I really wish I had been able to force her to take martial arts classes (I took a mixed class of Judo and Karate, as well as joining the Kendo club the entire time I attended school) but Hitomi had a softer continence than I did. She went missing on her way home from work, January 1st 1994.

Three years later and the police had not found a single piece of evidence. It was now stored away in Cold Case Files, chalked up as a runaway or lost cause, whichever. Hitomi's disappearance is what spurred me on through every major event that has occurred in my life up till now.

At 18 I attended the Tokyo Police Academy and graduated a year later second in my class. I started my training immediately out of high school and all my years of martial arts and Kendo made me a perfect candidate for a precinct. I was hired quickly by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, but under the stipulation that I attended University at the department's expense to further my education in law enforcement. I work in the Criminal Investigation Bureau, 4th Division: Burglary, Kidnapping, and Blackmail, Precinct 101.

I was proud of myself for being able to join Division 4 right off the bat. It would give me a better chance to accomplish my ultimate goal of finding Hitomi, providing me with all the resources I should ever need.

So here I am: I start college October 1st at The University of Tokyo. I also happened to get lucky enough to end up attending a school that two of my best friends will also be attending, making the transition from high school much easier on me. I met them both my junior year and I've always been thankful that I have. Even after graduation, we met up on weekends when I had time off from the Academy.

Even with friends to keep me sane, the thought of my sister weighs heavily on my mind every single day. I will never rest until I find her.

. . .

It was unseasonably cold for the end of September so I had been forced to pull out one of my many sweaters (I've been told that I have far too many, from gaudy holiday styled ones to ripped up, old comfy ones and every style in between) to throw over my simple red top. I took little notice of what I had chosen and only cared it did not happen to be a holiday one.

I had gotten a call early that morning from my best friend asking if I wanted to go apartment hunting. My current apartment's lease was up in a week and my best friend was just starting the exciting journey of moving out of her parents' home.

As soon as I had informed her a month ago that my apartment's lease was up soon (and the tiny, rundown little place I would certainly not miss) she had suggested we get an apartment together. We would be attending the same university, albeit for different degrees, so it made sense to get an apartment closer to the college. As fate would have it, my precinct was also only a ten minute drive from the university. I promptly informed her if we could find one nearby both I would be more than willing to get a place with her.

And so the hunt had begun, but no matter how many places we looked at none of them had been right. Or they were perfect but out of our price range. All the while, my friend was doing this secretly. She planned to tell her parents after she had settled on a new place to live, but not a second before because they would 'talk her out of it' supposedly.

…I've never seen anyone talk her out of anything. Believe me, I have tried.

I quickly pulled on a pair of discarded jeans that clung to my hips, but hung loosely everywhere else. I would surely catch hell for wearing them, because they were too closely related to men's jeans, as I had been informed on more than one occasion. I sniffed a pair of socks that were lying on the floor and deeming them fit to wear, pulled those over my cold feet.

My apartment was one room, except for the bathroom, and the kitchen was blocked off by one single wall, but it didn't really count as it had been built more for counter space than anything. There was a large opening that looked out into the living room, making the wall null and void. My living room doubled as a bedroom, I had a futon thrown down on the floor only a few feet away from my television. I made the bed neatly (though I always left the rest of my apartment a complete mess) and shuffled over to the bathroom.

I quickly brushed my teeth before roughly pulling a comb through my tangled locks. My hair was a vibrant shade of red (and let's make one thing very clear, my hair is red not orange. Please do not confuse it) and it hung in long waves down to the middle of my back. I remember someone from my childhood telling me it looked like someone had lit my skull on fire. I had also often been picked on for my hair color.

After all, who was I trying to kid? It was orange, but perhaps a darker shade than a certain friend of mine's. It just wasn't a natural color for someone of full blooded Japanese descent. That never stopped me from growing it out though and I took great pride in my hair.

I pushed it back from my face, tying it up in a high pony-tail and using a hair pin to keep my bangs out of my eyes. I grabbed my contacts off the side of the sink but gave them a look of disdain and quickly changed my mind. I didn't really feel like putting those in today. Contacts were great, especially for a police cadet, but they were one of my sworn enemies. It took me nearly 15 minutes on a good morning to get them into my eyes. On a bad morning it could take up to half an hour.

Setting them aside, I instead headed for the small table by my front door where I usually dropped my keys, change, cell phone and glasses alike into a little ceramic bowl painted with red poppies. Above the table were hooks for hats but I used them specifically to hang my precinct issued police jacket and gun holster. The pistol itself was always removed and unloaded; I kept the gun close at hand at all times. The magazine and gun were hidden under my pillow at night and during the day I used a shoulder holster to keep it concealed. In the summer I was forced to wear my belt holster, as it would be pretty obvious if I had a gun hidden underneath one of my shirts.

Unfortunately, I would no longer be able to carry it on me while attending classes. The perks of being a police officer gave me permission to carry a concealed weapon even off duty but the campus would never allow a weapon to enter its grounds, even if I could provide documentation of my status as a cop. I would just have to be happy being able to carry it while on duty and on days I didn't have classes. If need for protection should arise I also had a regular size can and keychain version of police grade mace.

Ah, good ole mace. I had firsthand experience with the rancid stuff, as I had been lucky enough to be chosen as the test subject for my class at the Academy. It still got talked about to this day. Apparently, for everyone else anyway, it had been hilarious.

Banishing the memory in irritation, I strapped on the shoulder holster and, checking to make sure there were bullets loaded as well as the safety being on, I shoved my pistol into its home at my side. In the process I had been forced to take off my sweater and I got a better look at it this time. It had been a Christmas present some years ago and was a bit fancier than I would have liked, considering the pants I had on, but I pulled the soft grey wool over my head again anyway.

I slipped my glasses behind my ears, settling the large lenses over my nose and breathing out a sigh of relief when my vision cleared. I had fairly poor vision, but enough that I could get away with not wearing any corrective lenses as long as I didn't have to see anything from too far a distance. Mostly, things were a bit blurry up close but given a certain amount of distance all I could see were colored blobs.

I bent down to pull my white trainers on, my long pony-tail falling over my shoulder and brushing my neck, causing me to shiver. I tied the laces tightly before standing up, grabbing my keys and walking out my front door. Locking up and stuffing my hands into my jean's pockets, I whistled some made up tune as I traversed my way through the dilapidated hallway with its pealing wallpaper and unidentifiable smells.

…Yeah, I sure wouldn't miss this place.

. . .

"Kasumi!"

I smiled as I turned to greet my friend. I'd been sitting on the bench in front of our favorite coffee shop for the past five minutes awaiting her arrival. I was surprised at her tardiness, not that it hadn't happened before, but she made it a habit to be extremely punctual. Five minutes was really nothing, but to this girl, even five minutes was considered rude as well as unacceptable.

She confirmed my thoughts a moment later, when she proceeded to apologize profusely for making me wait.

"Mah, mah Keiko-chan. It's no big deal." I used hand motions to convey I wanted her to calm down.

But Yukimura Keiko only continued to apologize as if she hadn't even heard me. I rolled my eyes and just decided to wait it out. I could see that her dark brown hair had grown again, as she was wearing it down today, and it easily reached past her shoulders. Soon enough she will have caught up to me. Keiko had dressed nicely, as usual, with a long pale blue skirt held up by an attractive brown belt and a light grey wool sweater. Actually, it looked pretty similar to mine. To finish the look she had a small leather bag thrown over her left shoulder.

After a good solid minute of, "I'm sorries," "it won't happen agains," and "I promise it wasn't my faults," I'd had enough.

"Okay, Keiko, it's seriously fine. It was only five minutes and I would really love a cup of coffee now."

Coffee, by far, was my favorite beverage. I could never start a morning properly without it. It had been wonderfully convenient when we discovered this coffee shop almost directly centered between our two places of residence; Keiko's parent's restaurant and my dingy, old apartment complex. By default it had become our halfway meeting point and if one of us needed each other it was the place we always looked first.

I entered the front door quickly, as Keiko had finally taken in my attire and I could see her eye twitching, the bell tinkled brightly overhead and I was greeted cheerfully by the two teens working behind the counter that morning. I waved back with a smile of my own.

It was a Saturday and given the time of morning, it was very busy in the little café. Keiko and I ended up having to wait in a seriously long line, causing me to sigh in annoyance.

"This is going to take all day."

Keiko giggled from behind me, "Oh, no it won't. Look who's working the counter today, Irumi-chan and Kenichi-kun. I've never seen anyone make a coffee so well or so fast when compared to those two."

We came to this particular shop so often that we were on a first name basis with most of its employees. Strictly on weekends, so it wouldn't conflict with their studies, worked Irumi and Kenichi, they were a brother and sister duo and it was almost guaranteed that they would end up in an argument on a busy day like today. Luckily for them, most of the customers found this quite comical, I being one of those customers.

I loved this place, with its brightly painted walls and cheerful, upbeat atmosphere. The décor consisted of leather upholstered booths and blown up framed quotes from famous books and authors hanging on its walls. The large bay window that faced out into the street had an array of different flowers in many pots displayed beautifully in the attempt to attract more customers into the shop. The floor beneath my feet was so well worn that you couldn't even tell what the original color had been if you tried.

Don't even get me started on the smell either, it makes me drool just thinking about it, and now here I was standing in the middle of it, coffee deprived and starving. I tried to pay more attention to the soft music they had playing over the radio than to the grumbling in my stomach or the delicious looking sweets in the display case. I could see out of the corner of my eye, as I stood turned halfway towards my friend and half towards the back of the dude in front of me in line, that Keiko was eyeing me with disapproval once again.

"What?" I finally snapped.

"Oh, aren't we cranky this morning?" She said sarcastically.

"Keiko-chan, it is 7 AM and I haven't had a single cup of coffee, what do you want from me?"

"Morimoto Kasumi, you know exactly what I want from you!"

She waved her hand up and down my body, obviously displeased with my semi-manly attire.

"The only nice thing you have on today is that sweater Kuwabara bought you two Christmases ago and I can tell that you have a gun – " she whispered the word like it was a sin, "beneath that same sweater!"

"Keiko, get over the gun, it has been on my person every day since I joined the precinct months ago and in fact, you should be used to it. I've been carrying a pistol on me since I joined the academy."

The guy in front of me had turned around to give me a look of alarm, but all I did was flick a glare at him and it had him turning back around pretty darn quick. Damn nosey assholes.

"Well, yes, but you didn't carry it out every day! You only used to take it if we were going to a different part of the city…or somewhere at night."

She huffed indignantly at me, causing me to laugh at her and turn back around in line. As Keiko had predicted it was moving much faster than I thought it would.

For a moment I thought she had dropped the conversation, but that short instant of relief was quickly swiped from my grasp when she said, "That thing you carry with you all the time isn't the point, the point is you are wearing men's pants and those granny like glasses of yours on top of it."

"And once again, I am going to ask why the hell my appearance matters so much to you?"

"And once again, "she was mocking me at this point, "I will tell you it is because I care and if you ever want to find a proper boyfriend you can't be caught walking around like that."

Ah, the old boyfriend spiel again. How did I know this was coming?

"I'm not interested in dating. I just joined the force and I don't want a relationship mucking up my career."

"That's the excuse you give now, but back in high school it was always because you were in too many clubs, or the even more stupid reason, that you would be a burden on the poor man's soul."

That was true, back in high school I truly believed that my past would be an issue for anyone I happened to date. I held onto that belief to this day. My past would only become worse now that I've joined the police force. Could you imagine coming home to tell your significant other that you had been forced to shoot someone that day? Yeah, I never wanted to have to do that.

I rolled my dark slate grey eyes at her once again, deciding to blatantly ignore her for now. Keiko already had a boyfriend, one that had gone mysteriously missing all through her time in high school. I had only heard stories about him, and albeit very few, but he had randomly returned one day a little over a year ago. Keiko spent a lot of time with him now but she still managed to meet with me at least once a week.

I had asked her once if her boyfriend knew where she went every Saturday but she had informed me that it didn't matter because Yusuke (her boyfriend's name was Urameshi Yusuke and besides Keiko's obvious infatuation with him, that is about all I knew) went away to visit people on the weekend's too. The only truly surprising thing I had learned about him in the past year was that our mutual friend from high school, Kuwabara Kazuma, was best friends with the guy.

Kazuma-kun also seemed to shirk around the subject of Yusuke, but had divulged to me once that they used to get into fist fights almost daily. He had recalled the time fondly and had made me extremely confused during his retelling. Who likes getting beat up every day? Not that I could talk, I'd had my ass handed to me on several occasions during Judo and Kendo club and that never stopped me.

I was elated when we finally reached the counter, the two fighting siblings bickering loudly and causing me to smile. They stopped their argument momentarily to almost simultaneously greet Keiko and me before turning their backs on us (all while yelling about how stupid the other was) and preparing our order. We came here almost every Saturday and those two never had to ask what we wanted. It was always the same thing.

Two little paper bags were placed on the counter in front of us, mine containing a chocolate filled cookie and hers a sweet bun, respectively. Keiko only ate junk for breakfast on Saturday's with me but had still stuck to one of the tamer pastries on the menu.

Irumi and Kenichi had made it into a race to see who could complete their designated order faster. Poor Kenichi had been jilted from the start though, not that I felt bad for him as he should have known better, but my coffee was so simple to make a monkey could do it. Not that I would ever tell the hotheaded Irumi that.

I always drank it the same way, dark and hot. Keiko figured I'd like my men that way too – if I ever bothered to date that was. I had only been in one serious relationship my whole life (which had ended so bad I refuse to talk about it) and Keiko completely disapproved of my choice in partners, which more often than not were one night stands I promptly forgot about the day after. This happened rarely, but somehow she could always tell when I'd brought someone home. She's irritatingly intuitive.

Irumi knocked me out of my reverie by placing my paper coffee cup in front of me triumphantly, turning to stick her tongue out at her younger brother who squawked indignantly and hurried to finish Keiko's coffee. Keiko liked hers sweet, with a bit of vanilla flavoring and lots of cream. I found it completely disgusting.

It took Kenichi only a few extra seconds to get Keiko's coffee to her. I handed the black haired Irumi (so different from her blonde headed sibling) the money for both orders and then stuffed a generous tip into the jar on the counter. Keiko and I alternated the days we paid, unless Kazuma was with us. No matter how many times in a row we went together, if he was there, he never let either one of us pay. Something about his code of honor and chivalry and some of that other flowery crap he liked to talk about.

We thanked the two teens, not sticking around to chat during such a busy hour, and they enthusiastically waved as we left before taking care of the next customer in line. Keiko took my free arm, the one without the coffee but still carrying my sweet treat, and happily walked out the door with me.

We took our regular seat on the bench in front of the big bay window to enjoy our breakfast and take a moments respite before the daunting amount of walking we were sure to be doing after. I really hoped we would find a place today…I was getting sick of having to dig things I needed out my already packed boxes. Not to mention if we don't find a place soon, I'm either going to have to re-up my lease on that shitty apartment or find a place without her.

I don't really want to do that. The idea of moving in with my best friend had kept me in a good mood for weeks, I would hate for it to end now.

I finished off my cookie, wiping crumbs off my front and taking notice that Keiko had only eaten half her bun. It lay dejectedly in her hand which was resting in her lap. Why did she suddenly look so sad?

"Keiko, are you alright?"

She jumped at my words, obviously having been lost in thought, but turned to me and shook her head.

"Come on, don't lie to me. What's on your mind?"

She bought time by stuffing the rest of her sweet bun into her mouth in a very un-Keiko like fashion and I could see she was trying to gather her thoughts. I waited patiently, knowing she would spill the beans eventually.

When she finally did I was a little surprised by what she had to say, and also a bit disheartened, "Yusuke doesn't want me to move out of my parents'."

My face scrunched up in displeasure and I took a long sip of my coffee before I answered her.

"Are you going to listen to him?"

Keiko laughed, "No, he has good reasons as to why he doesn't want me to but the one he kept going on about was you."

"What!?" I asked, alarmed. Why the hell would he have a problem with me?

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear in embarrassment, "It's my own fault. I should have brought him to meet you sooner."

"That still doesn't really answer my question…"

"I told him about you just a couple of weeks ago. So far, the only things he had heard about you were from Kazuma. He had been lead to believe that you were only his friend, apparently."

"Oh, and what did Kazuma tell him? Something bad by the sound of things!"

She giggled again, and once again I was slightly envious of Keiko's easy to come by femininity, she was so unlike me. Sometimes I had a hard time believing she was my friend, simply because of how different we were.

"Of course he didn't say anything bad Kasumi, Kazuma likes you."

I placed a mock look of shock on my face, gasping dramatically and slapping a hand over my gaping mouth.

"Likes me?!"

"Not like that and you know it!"

I patted her on the back so she would know I was only joking. Of course Kazuma didn't, the only person he had ever liked was a woman by the name of Yukina. He had sung her many praises over the years and I had been lead to believe they would make the perfect couple… that is, if he ever grew a pair and was honest with her. From what I had been told, he was dating her, but she was pretty oblivious about how serious he was. I spent many hours entertaining myself with picking on him to death about it. For some reason, he never did appreciate that bonding time as much as I did. I wonder why?

I switched the topic back to the more pressing matter, Keiko's boyfriend's unwarranted dislike of me.

"So, why doesn't Yusuke like me then?"

"It's not that he doesn't like you, Kasumi…he just doesn't trust you."

"I'm a goddamn cop, what is there not to trust?"

"I am under the firm belief it is because he has not met you. Once he does, he will see reason."

I snorted disdainfully into my coffee. I doubt that. While I didn't know too much about Yusuke, I did know that he was stubborn. I had a feeling that if he had already settled on not liking me than that was the way it was going to stay.

A thought occurred to me then and I decided to voice it to Keiko, "Do you think it's because he wants you to move in with him?"

A pretty blush spread across her cheeks, but she was shaking her head, "No, Yusuke has an apartment of his own but that is something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Okay, sure."

"Well, would you have a problem with him staying with us?" I kept my face blank and it caused her a bit of panic, as she started flapping her arms around, "I mean not all the time or anything! Just sometimes, because – "

She cut off the end of her sentence; falling quiet once more but the ruddy color of her cheeks lead me to believe there was something more to her wanting him around.

"Oi, Keiko-chan…did he propose to you?"

If it was possible her face turned even redder, but a brilliant smile had stretched across her features. I had always thought that my friend had a beautiful smile.

"How do you do that Kasumi? It's like you can read minds!"

I chuckled, I certainly couldn't read minds, but I had spent enough time with Keiko over the years to be able to read her pretty easily. She was an open book if you looked hard enough.

"Mind reading aside, I want to hear about this proposal."

"I turned him down…again."

I frowned at my friend in confusion. Wasn't this the second time she had turned him down then? I remember her telling me he had proposed before he left, but she had turned him down then for obvious reasons. To turn him down now didn't really make sense to me.

"Why, Keiko-chan?"

She smiled a sad little smile, "It just isn't the right time."

I knew she was hiding something but I let it drop, not wanting to upset her. I rose from the bench, ready to start our day, and held out a hand for Keiko. She took it gratefully, and hand in hand, we started our trek to go apartment viewing. I sighed once more – today was going to be a long day.

. . .

After viewing several different apartments and coming up empty handed Keiko had suggested we go out to lunch. With slumped shoulders, both of us discouraged and tired, we made our way to a fast food place. Grabbing a simple meal, I scarfed mine down quickly but I ended up having to wait for Keiko to finish hers. She admonished me, saying that eating too fast was bad for my health, like I care.

As soon as she finished her burger, I threw out our trash and ushered her out the door. We still had three places on Keiko's list to look at and one of them was about a twenty minute walk from where we were. Neither I nor Keiko had a car, but Kazuma did. I wished he was here, not just because I hadn't seen him in a while, but also so he could chauffeur us around.

We walked to the last one on the list, because it was closest but it only took one look at the front of the building (peeling paint, door left ajar, a bum sitting on the stoop) for us to pass on it. While I might have been okay (as I had lived in shittier apartments) Keiko was too sensitive for such a rundown place. We moved on, deciding to take a chance and walk to the farthest location. Keiko reasoned that we would have to backtrack anyway so we could just stop at the other building later.

As luck would have it, though it had been much farther of a walk than I would have liked, this new building looked much more promising. The outside was well kept and fairly modern, which lead me to believe it would probably be out of our price range. Walking up the front steps I rang the buzzer that was marked 'Landlord' and then waited. The front door was kept locked and could only be opened by someone who lived in the building.

Keiko was impatiently drumming her fingers against one of her crossed arms when the 'Landlord' (or, correction, Landlady) finally came to the door, her bushy grey hair lying in disarray on her shoulders and a look on her face to match the craziness of her appearance. She opened the inside glass door first (the outer part of the door consisting of a surprisingly nice gate) and then barked at as through the gated door.

"What do you two want?"

Keiko smiled kindly, trying to soothe the older woman's obvious irritation at being interrupted from…whatever it was the woman had possibly been doing but the lady just sneered at her, crossing her arms haughtily over her nightgown covered breasts. Why this woman was wearing a nightgown at this time in the afternoon was beyond me.

"We were wondering if we could view the apartment that is available."

She eyed us up critically, greying brows scrunching together and eyes narrowing. "Are you two some kind of lesbian couple?"

Originally Keiko would have sputtered indignantly at such a comment but it had happened so often while in my presence that she had long ago forgotten about the embarrassment it caused her. Now that I think about it that was probably one of the reasons she was so hard on me about what I wore.

She rolled her eyes at the woman, obviously irritated by the comment but answered with a simple, "No, we're just friends. We're looking for a place to live close to the University of Tokyo."

"Ah, college students that makes me feel better. There is one apartment still available on the third floor; it's a two bedroom with a loft." As she explained this she unlocked the gate to allow us to enter.

The woman ushered us up the stairs, as the building didn't appear to have an elevator, but the hallways weren't very large. There were about six apartments per hallway, three doors to each side. The halls were solid wood and several of the apartments had doormats, I noticed some with funny phrases as I walked by that made me laugh. The old woman looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't really care.

The staircases were regular old wood that matched the floors, and as we trekked up to the third floor I didn't have much to look at. The walls were wallpapered in a basic shade of blue; it was pleasant but held no interest for me. Instead I started to count the numbers on the apartment doors, wondering which one would end up being the one we stopped at. I also took notice that this old woman seemed to like her plants – at the end of every hall was a small table with some type of potted plant on its surface. Almost all the pots (except for the one I had taken notice of at the entrance, which contained what looked like pansies) had some type of ivy or other leafy plant in them. The one at the end of the third floor had grown large enough to spill over the sides of the table, dropping dried leaves to the floor.

The landlady noticed me eyeing her plants, "The residents on each floor take turns taking care of them. Unfortunately for this plant, the tenants on this floor are lazy." She gestured to the pile of leaves that had fallen off the plant to shrivel up on the floor.

Besides it being a bit overgrown, it looked like they had at least remembered to water it. Considering that was probably all I would ever do as well, it didn't really matter to me if they were lazy or not.

The old woman stopped at the last door on the left side, the one closest to the damned plant, and unlocked it. The number on the door read 15 and I was glad that we had not been unlucky enough to end up in apartment 13. Unlucky numbers meant bad situations in my book.

Keiko and I entered first, into a small alcove where we were meant to take off our shoes, the genkan slightly lower than the main floor. We removed our shoes, placing them neatly to the side of the door and I took notice of the wall color, a simple off white, airing on the side of crème that brightened up the living space. The landlady ushered us further into the room and Keiko and I turned to each other with twin looks of excited rapture as we spotted the small, but pretty (with a mantle and everything!) fireplace embedded into the far wall.

The floors were solid wood, though a lighter variety than the wood that made up the hallways outside the apartment's door. Off to the right of the living room were a set of stairs that led up to what looked to be a fairly well sized loft and from my vantage point on the bottom floor I could see two doors at each end, one at the top of the stairs and another across the length of the loft.

I took particular interest in the large bay windows spanning almost the entire length of the upper platform that were flooding overcast light into the entire apartment. I wanted to inspect them further but Keiko and the landlady were walking over to a swinging door to the left of us and across the room. The alcove we had entered earlier was apparently the wall to the kitchen.

Outside the kitchen door was a tiny space with another couple of windows I figured would be a good place for a dining table. I also took notice of the fire escape that would be easily accessible through one of those windows. I wander over to take a better look, the cop in me wanting to make sure they were in good shape to be safe to climb down. The metal was a bit rusted, but looked sturdy enough so I nodded in approval and went to follow Keiko.

Entering the kitchen and peering around Keiko's back, I took stock of what there was available. It was smallish, with a wraparound counter and white walls. There was no room for a table, but plenty of room to prepare a meal. I must have been right about the space outside the kitchen being meant for a table.

There were basic appliances, a refrigerator, a small microwave, and stove. The single sink sat in the counter at the far end, below a window only big enough to fit your head through. Luckily, I already owned a small rice cooker, toaster and coffee maker so Keiko and I would have everything we needed in the kitchen department.

Keiko turned to shoot another grin at me as we left the kitchen and headed to the other end of the main room, past the fireplace and towards the far wall beneath the loft. By the time we reached the bathroom, I had already started to get my hopes up. This place was really nice and I would be disappointed if it ended up too good to be true.

The washroom had a small washer and dryer set opposite the sink, a tiled area to spray yourself down, and a plain white bathtub set into the floor. It was nothing special, but had enough room for cabinet space. Next to the washer and dryer was a slatted wooden door and upon inspection I found that it was a place to put towels or other toiletries.

As we headed for the stairs, Keiko fell back behind the old woman (who was groaning about having to walk up the stairs and something about a bum leg) and fell into step beside me.

"So, what do you think of this place Kasumi?" She whispered, holding a hand over her mouth like she was afraid the landlady would read her lips.

I mimicked her, holding a hand over my mouth as well and replied, "I'm kind of in love with it actually, but the fireplace would have done me in anyway."

"Oh I know! It would be great in the winter. Keep your fingers crossed that the rent isn't too high."

I nodded in agreement, taking a minute to send a prayer to Kami the old woman wouldn't be a complete miser. By the time I opened my eyes we had reached the top of the stairs and I stopped to admire the windows up close. They had latches so you could push them open and breaking them into sections of 6 large windows, they could have easily fit someone's entire body. What excited me most of all though, was the navy blue cushioned window seat that would be perfect to curl up and read a book in or watch the sun rise in the morning.

The loft's floor was made of the same smooth wood as the downstairs and I almost jumped for joy when I realized there was just enough length to the space that I could practice my Judo and Kendo, possibly some of my techniques I had learned over the years. There was a flat railing that connected to the railing on the stairs so there was no possible chance of falling off, unless you jumped over it that is. The floor was made of just the right wood even, it must be fate!

I slid across the floor in my socks in excitement, making the old landlady purse her lips and glower at me. Keiko was giving me a similar look but I just stuck my tongue out at her in immaturity. She should be just as excited as I am.

Then again, I sometimes didn't really know how to act appropriately in public. So perhaps I was being a bit embarrassing. I don't have many social graces and normally stick to myself if possible. The only friends I had made over the years being Keiko and Kazuma, though I did like several of the other officers I worked with. I had also made friends while in the martial arts clubs, from my own schools as well as some from other districts. My name was fairly well known for a little while when I lived in Yokohama, mostly thanks to having consistent wins at school tournaments.

As we entered the first bedroom, I thought about the fact that I could count the people I cared about on one hand and it caused me to frown. Keiko eyed me worriedly but I just shook my head and directed my attention back to the tour.

The bedrooms were simple affairs, both almost identical. They weren't very big but had adequate enough space for a few pieces of furniture and a regular sized bed. Each room had an open closet built into the wall, with sets of drawers underneath where you would normally hang your clothing. They would eliminate the need for a dresser, cutting down on one of the pieces of furniture you would have to stick into the tiny space. Each room also had one single window embedded in the wall furthest from the door.

The only difference the rooms had was the choice of color for the walls. The bedroom at the far end with the window that faced the street had been painted a pretty, bold shade of blue while the bedroom at the top of the stairs had been painted a pastel shade of yellow. I called dibs on the blue room, which seemed to make Keiko happy anyway. I had a feeling she'd prefer the yellow.

The landlady came to stand in the middle of the loft, folding her arms haughtily over her chest once again. "So, do you want the place or have you just been wasting my time?"

I was sorely tempted to be just as rude to this woman as she was to us, but I refrained in fear that she would refuse us the apartment if I did so. Instead, I fearfully asked her, "How much is the rent each month?"

Her eyes narrowed in distaste, but she answered me anyway. "I have always given college students a discount, so it's your lucky day girls. I would be willing to allow you to live here for 150,000¥ a month, utilities included other than telephone and television."

I turned away from the woman to hide my face as I quickly tried to calculate that in my head. In the process I got a nice view of the entire apartment from where I was standing. The space was not too large, but the high ceilings thanks to the loft made it look much more spacious. I wanted this place bad and I had a feeling that Keiko did too.

I make a little over 200,000¥ a month, which means I could afford the apartment on my salary alone but that wouldn't leave me much for anything else. We could do without television as I had a collection of VHS tapes that would last us a lifetime anyway, so that only left expenses for food, necessities, and a telephone line.

I wasn't a complete whiz at math but I figured that I could afford the utilities too, along with groceries, but it would leave me nothing left over. I know Keiko wants to split everything fifty-fifty but it would also count on her parents' reaction to her moving out. If they refused to pay her tuition or even worse, fired her from the Ramen shop, she would have no extra money to pay for anything, let alone rent that expensive.

Should I risk letting this place go, just for that reason? Everything could end up working out just fine after all. If I say no, we may very well lose a wonderful place to live. On the other hand, if I jump the gun and say yes it could backfire in my face. What the hell was I going to do?

I turn to Keiko for advice, but she's already turned back to the landlady and they are discussing something in heated whispers. I move a bit closer so I can hear what they're suddenly arguing about but I'm already too late, as the old woman stands back and yells, "Fine!"

She turns to me with her beady, angry eyes, "I would be willing to drop the rent slightly lower, just because your friend here has told me what you do for a living. I have much respect for the police officers around here; they've been kind enough to keep the kids away from my building. Always, with the graffiti, it's despicable!"

I laugh uncertainly and give the woman a tentative smile, "Oh thank you, that's very kind of you."

"It's not about being kind, it's about giving back to the people that actually work in this god forsaken shit hole."

I was a bit shocked by her language, but her whole demeanor did scream 'old, crotchety, and perpetually pissed off' so I don't know why I was surprised in the first place. I let out a bark of laughter before I can help myself. I think I might end up liking this bitchy old woman.

"Either way, we appreciate it," I say.

In the end, she lowered the rent by 25,000¥, not much but it had been something at least. Not wanting to regret letting the place go, I ended up agreeing to move in (making Keiko hug me in thank you) with the promise of the first and last month's rent. Any damage to the apartment or the items held within it would be paid for by our own expense.

I signed the papers with a flourish, happiness rushing through my veins and a grin a mile wide plastered across my face. When the old lady (whose name I learned was Hirabayashi Chiyoko, but she insisted we call her baba Chiyo now that we would be living under her roof) handed us a set of keys, one for each of us: I don't think I had ever been happier in my life.

As baba Chiyo climbed down the stairs to show us out, I turned to Keiko and high fived her quietly behind the woman's back.

I can't wait to see what this new chapter brings to my life.

. . .

A/N: So here's chapter one, I've done some research on law enforcement and the police force in Japan, though I am not very knowledgeable on the different districts and what not that are in Tokyo. I know there are 101 precincts, but I am not at all certain where they happen to be located, so much of the city I envision in this story is going to be made up. For all I know there isn't one anywhere near the University of Tokyo, so I just picked number 101 as Kasumi's precinct. I live in North America, but I am going to try my best to make the police force as in character as possible. I hope the apartment scene was not too confusing, I know it was boring as hell, but the apartment is what starts it all, so to speak. None of the guys in this chapter too, but I promise they will be in the next one! Thanks for reading, reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome and appreciated but flames will be used to heat my house this winter!

P.S. My penname changed recently to ClaireSheperdHKKY from The Crazi Greek, just an fyi.