Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho…it belongs to the creators and such.

Summary: Prequel to King Enma's Kishi. Kurama tries to live a normal life after the underworld tournament, but things don't go quite the way he planned.

The saga is called: Shiren no Jinsei Nendakiki (or Trials, act of being tested/hardship, of Life, lifespan, Chronicles)

Rated: T

Seikatsu

Chapter 1: What a Day

"Kurama…look out!" Yusuke yelled, firing a spirit gun blast at a demon that was right behind the red head. The red head plastered himself to the ground just as the blast hit the demon, causing it to fall forward and land on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

Kurama was pined on his stomach and was getting ready to push himself up when the weight suddenly disappeared. He got to his knees in time to see Yusuke and Kuwabara throw the dead demon off to the side.

"Are you okay man…that's not your blood is it?" Kuwabara asked, taking in the look of the former spirit yoko.

Kurama's yellow tunic was covered in blood, most of it was on the back, with some of it pooling around his side to the front. "I am fine and no, this is not my blood, thanks to Yusuke." He said, standing up and looking to the raven haired boy with a small smile that said 'thanks'.

"Well I guess that's that. We need to inform Koenma so he can clean up…we'll probably have some explaining to do." Yusuke said, pulling out his communicator to call Botan. He filled her in on the latest event so she could tell Koenma and get the clean up started.

"Koenma wants to see you all in his office tomorrow morning guys. He says he needs to talk to you and before you ask, I don't know what about." Botan said before closing the communication.

Yusuke sighed, saying. "I guess we'll find out in the morning then. Do you want to meet in the park and go together or should we just meet there?" He asked looking more to Kurama, knowing Kuwabara would meet him.

"It will be easier if I met you there." Kurama answered. He had taken off his tunic and folded it to hide the blood. The white shirt he had on underneath wasn't as covered and the last thing he needed was someone to see all the blood on him as he made his way home.

"Okay." Kuwabara spoke up. "I'm off to the arcade. I'm still on an adrenaline rush, anyone want to join me?" The orange haired asked while acting like he was using controls to shoot bad guys.

Kurama shook his head. "No thank you Kuwabara, I need to get home and cleaned up." He said and gave Yusuke a 'see yeah' motion as he started walking off.

"How about you then?" The orange haired asked.

Chocolate eyes weren't looking at him. "I want to go and talk to fox boy for a moment, I'll meet you there." Yusuke said and didn't even look back as he ran to catch up with the disappearing figure.

After what seemed like the hundredth time telling Yusuke he was fine and that he would be there in the morning, Kurama made his way to his small two story apartment and let himself in. Not even bothering to turn on lights, he made his way upstairs to his bedroom to finish undressing and get into a hot shower before hitting the bed. He was just entering his room when he saw a shadow over by the window. Thinking it would be odd for a burglar to climb the tree to break in. He waited a moment to see who or what it was before taking action. Then green eyes saw him, or did he, yes, first the white patch of hair and then a pair of crimson eyes staring at him, making eye contact. "Hiei!" He exclaimed in a gasped whisper as he ran over to the window to unlock it. The fire demon's feet had not even touched the floor before the red head pulled the small figure in his arms and held tight, wondering if this was real or if he had finally lost it.

(12 months earlier)

"I already said I would give you all a month off Kurama and then I need you back to take care of business as usual. I just hope nothing serious happens this month and it takes awhile before any demons get the idea that the portals are open." Koenma, in his toddler form, said while silently cursing the new King Enki for thinking he could stop 'mischief in the Ningenkai'. He just made it easier for the desperate ones to try.

Kurama stood in front of Lord Koenma's desk not liking the answer one bit. He needed to quit being a spirit detective. He had spent the better part of two years working for Yomi, and his decision to stay in the Ningenkai, to realize that, to begin to live a normal ningen life, he needed to give up the part that kept him from living it.

"Besides, it will only be for a few more years, five at the most, by then everything will have calmed down and be on a more diplomatic front." Koenma added as he picked up his stamp to continue processing the never ending paper work piled on his desk. He was basically dismissing the red head without saying it.

Kurama got the hint and turned to leave. 'Koenma be damned.' He thought as the doors closed behind him. He'll just have to bide his time and try to work things out another way. 'I am no longer on probation, he can not get mad at me if I stop showing up to some of the meetings and cases.' Deciding that that might be a start, he made his way home. He wanted to spend the rest of the month he had off with his family.

When he made it home, he walked in on his okasan, step-father and step-brother sitting at the kitchen table.

"Shuiichi, there you are. You left early this morning and we didn't get a chance to talk to you." Shori acknowledged as she got up from the table and walked over to her son, motioning for him to take her empty set.

"What is wrong okasan?" Kurama asked as he sat down and looked at the other faces around the table.

"Well son." His step-father started, trying to decide the best way to tell the news. "We are moving at the end of the month." He didn't wait for a reaction before explaining. "Now I know that's only a few weeks away and that we should have told you earlier, but we didn't even know ourselves. The board wants to start a new office location out of town and wants me to start it. I will be promoting a new director here, until of course you can take over and then my Shuiichi here." He informed, placing his arm around his son's shoulder and giving him a smile.

Kurama didn't know what to think, this was just not a good day, first his meeting with Koenma about wanting to quit and then the news that his 'still new to him' family was moving out of town.

Seeing the look on her son's face, Shori stepped in "Shuiichi dear, you are more than welcome to move with us. The commute might be hard, but we can work around that. I was also thinking, if you want, you can have this house and stay here during the week…then come home on the weekends." She suggested, smiling at the idea, trying to make her son feel better.

Kurama shook his head. "No okasan, it would be better if I got an apartment here. I can pay rent cheaper than the house payment and then you can take the profits from the sale of this place to put down on the new house." He said, starting to like this idea. He wouldn't need to worry about lying to his family as much when he needed to work a case. "Besides." He added. "I will not have time to keep up on a place this big. If I come to see you every weekend or so, I won't even have time to cut the grass, an apartment would be easier."

"Well, if that's your decision then, it's a good one." Shori agreed, not wanting to realize her only son was grownup and ready to be on his own. 'He's grown so much these past few years, I haven't really noticed since he's been gone a lot.'

"If you will excuse me, I need to go see if there are any apartments available, I don't have much time." Kurama said getting up from the table and deciding the best bet would be to find a newspaper with apartment ads.

He got lucky and thanked Inari for it, there was an apartment opening up at the end of the month and it was next to Genkai's temple. He could not have gotten any luckier. Now he could meet the others at the temple much easier than the park and he could check in on the 'old master' anytime, plus visit Yukina and Puu.

Little did he know that after the move, his 'mode of existence' was about to change.

End chapter 1

Seikatsu – meaning- 'Life' but more specifically, it means the 'mode of existence' in which you live it at the time.