Disclaimers: Don't ask, don't sue, don't tell
Chapter 2
"Yusuke…? Please wake up…" a gentle voice called out to him.
Yusuke woke up and saw a mane of greenish blue hair. It was Yukina. Morning already…?
"Ah Yukina…good morning…" he yawned as he sat up.
"Breakfast is waiting downstairs…" she said as she gave him a gentle morning smile.
Yusuke smiled at her. "All right then, thanks!" Boy…she sure is a far cry from her brother…
The youth got up and stretched his limbs. He then made his way to the dining area in order to get some breakfast. Suddenly, a pair of chopsticks flew right at him. He was able to catch both of them in two fast movements and glared at the person who threw them.
"You old hag! How dare you ruin my morning when I just got up-"
"That's just it Yusuke, you just got up and it's past morning already! No breakfast for you!"
"WHAT?"
"You heard me, now get your butt back there and do some serious training with Aki and Kai!"
Yusuke begrudgingly opened the door and felt his body freeze at the sight that greeted his eyes.
Aki, the silent one with the glasses, was brandishing a staff that had two large blades at both ends.
Kai, on the other hand, had a pair of ebony tonfas. They were having a sparring match, with Hiei, Kuwabara and Kurama watching on the sidelines. What made Yusuke gawk was at the speed that they were going at.
Aki was spinning his weapon, using it to defend and attack Kai at the same time. Kai, unable to go near Aki, used his tonfa to block the blades' rotation, making Aki open for attack. As he attempted an upper swing, Aki barely dodged as the weapon sent some strands of his hair flying. He counterattacked by attacking Kai below the waist. Kai guarded in the nick of time as sparks flew from the contact of the weapons.
And all this happened in barely five heartbeats.
"Whoa guys…did you see all that!"
"What's the matter moron? You need a commentary so you would know just what happened?"
"Shut up shrimp!"
"Wow…they're both so fast…" Yukina whispered, awestruck.
"But of course Yukina, I am better than them in any way" Kuwabara commented, with a gentlemanly smile at the snow demon.
"Dream on" Hiei muttered.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm quite intrigued with the both of them…" the red haired Kurama replied, smiling.
"Yeah.." Yusuke interjected. "I'm curious to see as to what kind of powers do they have…how does it feel to fight with them…"
Yusuke smiled and was about to jump in and challenge them to a duel when all of a sudden, Genkai's melodious voice rang echoes throughout the sparring area:
"YUSUKE!"
The said boy stopped in his tracks and looked angrily at Genkai. "What do you want now, you old hag?"
"You have a visitor!"
Yusuke's eyes fell on the figure behind Genkai…
Koenma
"Wha? Run that by me again!"
"When the victim's body was examined," Koenma supplied "it had the faint smell of strawberries…and the victim was male"
"So you're saying that the perpetrator is a female?" Yusuke analyzed. "But isn't that jumping to conclusions? I mean, maybe the guy just had a night out with his girlfriend!"
"Do you really think that the other victims also had girlfriends that had the SIMILAR SMELL? What about the demons who were also killed? Last time I checked, strawberry lotion was NOT a fad in Makai"
"You know Urameshi, it quite makes sense…" Kuwabara butted in. "I mean, you won't find a GUY nor a DEMON wearing strawberry scented lotion and going around killing GUYS and JUST HAPPENED to rub lotion on them…well, except if the killer was actually gay…" he trailed off and felt all color drain from his face. He shivered at the thought.
"So the killer was a woman" Kurama scrutinized. "It will be hard to go on with just that"
"We also came to the conclusion that her attacks are not random" Koenma added. "All the beings that she killed were powerful, influential and such…but there are no direct or indirect links between them. We believe that she is a hired assassin…that's why I need your help guys. Could you please ask some ex-assassins whom you are acquainted with? With someone as powerful as this, I'm sure her name has come up in their circle a few times…"
"Hmp. If you ask me, you're on a wild goose chase. If she's that good, then the first thing she would do is disappear, then when the trail has gone cold, then strike again."
"But what I don't get is the strawberry lotion" Kuwabara pointed out. "Why would she leave something that could implicate her?"
"We believe that that's her mark" Koenma explained. "She's confident of her skills, that's why she's bold enough to leave something like that"
"Someone like that would also be skilled enough to be able to travel back and forth between Ningenkai and Makai…" Yusuke whispered. "She must also be good as disguising her energy"
The sliding door then opened, and revealed Kai and Aki, carrying the pot of tea and cups.
"Thirsty?" Kai went in and placed the tray on the low table.
"Oh thank you…" Koenma looked at him curiously.
"Oh right, Koenma, this is Takenaga Kai. He's a candidate for Genkai's spirit wave technique. And the guy with the glasses is—"
"Makoto Aki!" Koenma blurt out, the rest of the guys awarding him with raised eyebrows and questioning looks.
"You… know him Koenma?" Kurama inquired.
"Of course I do! Makoto Aki was one of our top spies and informer! Where do you think the info from your missions come from, thin air?"
"S-so then…? The time with Sensui…Yukina's abduction…the one with Suzaku…all those missions came from him?" Yusuke looked wildly at the seemingly lanky, wimpy geek with glasses.
"Yes. Be thankful for you were well briefed and that the info was accurate…"
So that's why we weren't able to sense his energy the yesterday! Hiei looked at Aki with poison in his eyes. He's dangerous…
I wonder what's special about him…? Kurama trained his gaze on Kai, his face as emotionless as a stone.
"I'm surprised…what brought you here, Koenma-sama?" Aki regarded the prince of the Spirit World with quiet eyes.
"A 5 year old murder case" Koenma wearily replied. "We have just recently uncovered a series of assassinations and traced it up to the mysterious deaths 5 years ago. The problem is, we've only recently uncovered these events due to the lack of souls that came to the spirit world. "
"Wait a moment! Time out!" Kuwabara held out his hands in the air. "How can you say for sure that these deaths are connected? Aren't you giving this killer a little too much credit?"
Koenma sighed exasperatedly. 'Listen here, when a person dies, it is automatically logged into the record book, that's how we keep tally of deaths so we'll know the number of souls in the world but…"
"The percentage of bodies are not equal to the percentage of souls, am I correct?" Aki supplied.
"Yes. And because of that, the three worlds are at an imbalance! If we do not restore it quickly, then the three world might collide and it might spell the end for everyone!"
There was a grim silence after Koenma's outburst. "Whoa..." was all Kuwabara could say.
Koenma cleared his throat and continued "And it has happened in Makai and Ningenkai. But we believe this assassin is big time…all the victims were influential and powerful. All the victims had residue and the scenes bear the scent of the same strawberry lotion…that can be purchased in Ningenkai. She passed all the bodyguards, including the most powerful and brutal demons in Makai…all their souls were taken as well. And there's only one person whom I know that can do that…" the prince looked at Aki.
"Where and when's the last hit?"
"There was a recent hit just 2 weeks ago. It was our new Spirit Detective unfortunately. But before that, there was also one around the time after Yusuke came back from the demon world…after you retired. And it was a major hit, she took out 5 influential Spirit Master...one of them was En, Ryo and Kai's master"
There was a moment of silence. Kuwabara was the first one to speak. "You mean...the one's that we faced in the Dark Tournament?"
"I'm afraid he's the one..."
Kuwabara slammed his fist on the table "That bitch! How dare she kill their master?"
Yusuke looked grimly at him. "Easy Kuwabara...this case is different from others…"
"Yeah…an opponent who has the ability to steal souls…and a skilled fighter to boot. It won't be easy" Kurama contemplated and looked at Yusuke. "What are you going to do?"
"Track her down and take care of her if she causes anymore trouble" Yusuke stated, his hands fisted. "I'd like to see what she has in store for me"
"So you're just going to wait until she strikes?" Kuwabara asked.
"Aki…I might need your help again…" Koenma looked at the seemingly scrawny kid with glasses.
"I'll do what I can" Aki answered tonelessly.
Koenma shifted his gaze to Kai, who was silent the whole time.
"You never told me you had a cousin…"
Kai gracefully bowed at him and introduced himself. "Takenaga Kai…It's a pleasure to meet you"
"I'm just an informer and spy…I'm good at hiding things…to protect people I care about"
"Maybe your cousin can help us with this…"
"If I can, I will" Kai answered lazily which took Koenma aback.
"Kai!" Genkai scolded and Kai felt silent again. "Forgive him Koenma, he can be rude sometimes…"
"Sounds like a trait your students share" Koenma commented, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Shut it pacifier boy! Who are you calling rude?"
"Oh, I'M SORRY, Yusuke, I didn't mean to OFFEND you"
"Grr!"
"Now that's enough the both of you…" Genkai reprimanded, drinking her tea.
Hiei stood up and went outside the house.
"Where are you going Hiei?" Kurama inquired.
"To train.." the fire demon answered.
"Aren't you going to stick around? I want to know more about this assassin.."
"Do what you want. I have no interest in this. It's a waste of time. And even if I have the chance to face off with her…she will stand no chance against me"
As Hiei walked off, Kuwabara harrumphed. "What's his problem?"
"Don't worry guys…that's just his way of saying 'I'm the one who's going to beat that woman'" Kurama smiled as he looked at them.
Yusuke sighed. "Why can't he just be open to his feelings for once!" His eyes darted at Yukina and back again when the youkai turned her head in his direction.
AN: At last, the second chapter! Sorry if the story is dragging…it's kinda my break from writing my other Dynasty Warriors fic, Destiny's Saga. Unfortunately, I've run out of ideas for the fight scenes! Woe is me! Anyway, please check my other fics out if you have time. Hmm…this assassin must big to cause Koenma such pain! I wonder what will happen next chapter…