I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SO, SO sorry! I wrote this fic while forgetting one of the names of the characters (bawls over in shame)! What sort of FAN am I?! Ohhh... I've been so focused on Naruto these past few days that I've been missing out on my duties as a loyal HB shipper! I'm sorry!

Maybe some of you didn't notice, but I sort of made a mistake during my last chapter. I put "8 months" instead of "11". I've revised this one, however, and I'm pretty sure I made it right!

Anyways, I'm sorry AGAIN for not updating sooner AND forgetting the name of that character of whom I forgot! Just to make it up to you, I pretty much thripled the size of this chapter! I hope you enjoy!!

Against All Odds

Chapter Three

21 years before the Makai Domination...

'Hey, pacifier-breath! You look like you've gained some weight over the last few years!' greeted Yusuke Urameshi as he walked into the park the Prince of Rekai, Koenma, had called him over to.

'This is a serious matter, Yusuke,' said Koenma gravely, showing no evidence of humour in his eyes. Yusuke shut up immediately upon realizing this.

'Hmph,' grunted Hiei, looking grumpy in his position on the tree. 'Just get to the point, fool, so we can get this over with.'

'Yes, Koenma,' agreed Kurama, nodding his head promptly, the bangs of his silky red hair bounding as he did so. 'I have a meeting to attend to later, so if you don't mind, I'd like to actually make it in time for once.'

Koenma looked proffesional as he scanneed through the various irritated expressions of his ex-Rekai Tantei. He didn't blame them for being so, of course. After all, being called upon after years of not meeting one another for something so "serious" was obviously something to worry about. Koenma hesitated, and looked over at his ferry girl, Botan, standing to his left. She gave him a small nod of approval, then turned back to the rest of the crew with matching seriousness in her pink orbs.

'Well,' started Koenma. 'We've been informed by some very reliable sources that there is a new ruler of Makai – most probably a she. According to these sources, the ruler is planning to widen their territory by cutting open the portal into the human dimension. As you all know, this news is of great importance.'

The Prince paused, giving the ex-Tantei time for all the information to sink in. He watched the various expressions of the group carefully, hoping for the best. Yusuke looked grim and deep in thought as he continued to process everything said. Kurama had a look of terrible vehemence behind those glassy emerald eyes of his. Kuwabara's emotions were clear as he outwardly grinded his teeth together, looking angry. Hiei was as dark and expressionless as usual.

'Hn,' said the Jaganshi finally, breaking the thick barrier of silence. 'So you want us to help?'

Koenma nodded hesitantly; unsure of how the koorime would react to this.

Hiei Jaganshi snorted. 'Don't waste your time,' he muttered, leaping off the tree he had been leaning on and dissapearing into the wild shadows.

Koenma turned his hazel eyes on to the rest of them, biting his lower lip in apprehension. He hoped Yusuke and the others wouldn't turn down the need for help as Hiei just had. He didn't want to think about what might happen to the world if the new empress took over Ningenkai, and he REALLY didn't want to think of what would happen when his father found out he had not completed his simple task.

'What about the rest of you?' asked Koenma.

Everyone was silent for another long stretch of time. Kurama looked calculating. Kuwabara angry. Yusuke grim.

'I'll bring Hiei with us tomorrow,' stated the fox as though it was a done deal. He looked over at the rest of the group one last time, watched as they each nodded their heads promtly in approval, and parted their separate ways.

16 years later, 11 months before present time...

'Jaganshi, wake up!'

The first thing Hiei Jaganshi saw when he first cracked his eyes open from deep sleep, was the striking emerald eyes of Isamu Urameshi. Hiei growled groggily at him, hoping that Urameshi would get the point and give him some personal space. Luckily, Isamu had more sense than his father had, and quickly backed off with a nervous laugh.

'Sorry to wake you up this early,' said Isamu with a grin. There was no trace of sleep in his green orbs. He had the look of a man who had learned to wake up early for all of his life. The black bags under his eyes also gave him the look of a man who never had enough sleep, and was much too worked-out all the time. 'But we need you in the meeting room. I need to introduce you to the rest of the crew before we take off.'

'Take off where?' asked Hiei, sitting up and running his hands through his onyx-coloured hair.

Isamu grinned. 'The next rebellion, of course,' he said, then taking his leave for Hiei to take the necessary preparations before the meet.

Hiei looked at his katana, lying openly at the corner. He quickly grabbed it by the hilt; immediately feeling at comfort once again, before walking out of his room without bothering to bathe or clean off all his scars.

The meeting room wasn't anything much. Just a simple, gray-tiled sector of the rebellion homebase. There were a few empty chairs here and there, but no one had bothered to take a seat. Other than that, there were also three rows of weapons stacked one over the other on the both sides of the walls. Hiei marvelled at them silently as he made his way in.

Isamu grinned at his arrival, offering Hiei a plate of cold toast and a stick of melted butter which the koorime eagerly accepted. 'Hiei,' said Isamu. 'I'd like to first introduce you to our main team.'

The Urameshi stood back so that Hiei could get a closer look of his fellow team-members. When he did, however, Hiei just coud not help but smirk.

There were four men in the room – all of whom Hiei had met beforehand; comrades of the ex-detective, people he had fought against and all of whom had respected Yusuke almost as greatly as he had.

The youngest, Joey, was still a young boy when they had last crossed paths. Now tall, lean and more mature, Joey stood in the middle of the group, his trademark yoyo now silver, still dangling from his index finger as he toiled with it lazily. Next to him was the drunk, Chuu. He held a bottle of half-empty sake in one hand, and a large club in the other, resting on his broad shoulders as he grinned at Hiei through half-lidded eyes. At the corner was Touya, a short ice-demon when they last met. He was now just as tall as Hiei, though still shorter than the rest of the group. He exchanged his old outfit for deep blue armor, a pair of plain black trousers and a pale blue-coloured robe to top it all off. His hair was the only thing about him that remained intact. Next to him was the wind master, Jin. There was no big difference in the air-demon aside from his unruly red hair, which now seemed to drag down to his hips.

'Hiei, man!' greeted Jin enthusiastically with his usual thick Irish accent. 'When Isamu here told me we were having a new member, I had no idea it'd be you! Glad to see ya on the team!'

'Well, since it seems you all know each other, I guess that saves the whole introduction process now, doesn't it?' said Isamu with his usual wide grin. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it up, and started pressing it to his lips. 'Now, the reason I called upon this meeting so early in the morning was because of this new information some of my troops have just gathered last night.' Isamu clicked on a button, and in an instant, a large screen which Hiei had not noticed during his arrival zoomed to life.

Isamu pulled out a small laser from his pocket and flicked it on so he could use it to point at the necessary coordinates found on the map of the computer screen. 'Here,' said Isamu, gesturing at an area labeled, "063052" on the screen. 'Is where the Makai troops are said to store their weapons. If we could only send a group over there, we can infiltrate the hideout and snatch the loot – simple break in and stealing method, but nonetheless effective.'

Hiei watched as Isamu continued to rant on about their next mission with full concentration. It seemed they were sending out a small group to be led by Chuu and Joey. Jin and Touya, on the other hand, were supposed to stall the Makai army from getting inside. The mission required sacrifice, and it seemed the rebellion were ready to take plenty of it.

'We're digging an entrance underground even as we speak,' informed Isamu, looking strict as he turned off the screen, and it buzzed back to its empty state. 'We can use the new road, but with consequences. The new tunnel will be much quicker, but without the proper time, we aren't able to take the necessary safety precautions. Are we all clear on this?'

Chuu, Touya, Joey and Jin nodded their head in understanding, their eyes completely focused on their current leader – it seemed Isamu had inherited Yusuke's leadership qualities almost as well as that grin of his.

'Isamu-san, what is it you need me to do then?' a sudden voice piped up, shattering the thick silence.

Hiei turned to the source of the voice. It was the ferry onna again. He hadn't noticed her before, but with her presence still plaguing his mind since last night, Hiei wasn't at all surprised at the world's choice of ironic events. The ferry girl had been standing quietly in the corner until the briefing. She had replaced her old kimono with a pair of form-fitting faded jeans and a heavy black overcoat, draped over her grey blouse. Although he would never admit it himself, Hiei was quite pleased she now appeared somewhat more healthier than she was last night.

Isamu smiled. 'Glad you brought that up, Botan-chan,' he said lightly. 'You have one of the most difficult jobs of all... I need you to go undercover as one of the Makai troops, blend in with some of the demons... Since you seem to be the only one with an energy-pattern they haven't all ready recognized, I think you'll be the perfect one for the job.'

Hiei's eyes widened, and he quickly took back his words about Isamu having as good a leadership quality as his father.

Was this guy insane? The ferry woman couldn't possibly run through a mission – not after what happened yesterday! She was frail and weak... she didn't have a fighting bone in her small body. Hiei chose not to keep this information to himself and quickly snatched the oppurtunity to voice his opinion out loud.

Botan's pink eyes narrowed, as, for a second there, it seemed to have flared with an inner fire. She crossed her arms indignantly and stuck her nose to the side – a clear sign that she did not agree to Hiei's choice of words.

'Well...' said Isamu sheepishly, one hand running to the back of his neck and scratching an invisible itch. 'She was the only one the enemy had yet to recognize... I thought she would do perfectly for the job.'

'Well you thought wrong,' retorted Hiei flatly, seemingly oblivious to the glares the ferry woman was now giving him. 'The onna can hardly stand up to an insect... much less a troop of leveled demons. She can't possibly present herself as one of them. She'll choke at the first minute.'

Botan looked almost rigid with supressed fury. If she hadn't been so sick, the blood would have probably gathered to her cheeks and made her look like a red lobster on fire. Steam would have probably been rising out of her ears and nostrils.

'I'll have you know...!' snapped Botan, jutting a finger at Hiei's cloaked chest – a sign of feminine indignaty. 'That I CAN put myself up against a few demons! I'm not as weak as I used to be, you know!'

The koorime grunted loudly, waving off her temper tantrum with a dismissive air. 'You couldn't even walk on two legs without falling, onna!' he snapped. 'and the only way possible to keep your mouth shut would be to press a blade to your throat and threaten you out of talking.'

'Why you little...!'

But before either one of them could continue with their spat, Isamu appeared right between them, ceasing all current activities.

'I've made my decision,' he announced importantly. 'Botan is going on the mission...'

Hiei red eyes narrowed threateningly. Was the boy MAD? Was he TRYING to get the onna killed?

'And Hiei-,'

Hiei settled down at the mention of his name, though the blazing look of pure rage in his eyes did not lessen.

Isamu looked at the short fire demon... the man who fought side-by-side with his father. His earlier plan was to leave him at the base for him to gather his strength; after all, such an important asset to the team should not be running off to some small-time mission... he wanted to save the infamous Jaganshi crimelord for much bigger, more complexing plans. But as he now looked over at the Jaganshi – his face contorted in anger, his grip ironed over the hilt of his katana, the fire burning from withing his ember orbs – he knew such a thought would have to passed aside for another time. It seemed now that this mission meant a great deal to the all-powerful Jaganshi – it also seemed that, for some absurd reason, the safety of the ferry woman meant a lot to him as well.

'...you will escort her...'

8 months later... 3 months before present time...

Black silence drenched over the entire room as pink eyes, now taking a silver-ish hue due to the faint moonlight, gazed out of a window. Open palms pressed timidly against the smooth glass that sealed her from the outside world... the world filled with so much hate and misery that it caused fresh tears to well up in her eyes and roll down her shadowed cheeks.

'Onna...' cried a voice, hoarsely, faintly. 'Botan.'

It was stubborn how the ferry onna refused to turn her head unless her real name was pronounced, even though she knew the source of the voice had been in pain and was probably using mostof his leftover strength to lean against her doorframe.

'I...'

He didn't need to finish his sentence to make her comprehend what he was saying. Botan knew exactly what he wanted... it shone deep within his deep, blood orbs. She rushed to his side and wrapped her arms beneath him to keep from falling over. Carefully, with grace much practiced, she draped the man over her own small shoulders and slowly heaved him to her bed, lying him down.

Without hesitation, the ferry woman ripped open the man's black robes. Her pink eyes inspected his swathed body with a medic's eye. He had gashes almost everywhere in every shape, size and colour. Red blood oozed out of his open pores. Scratches coated his fair chest, ripping his pale flesh to ribbons.

With a sigh, Botan started to prepare the medications.

'You've really outdone yourself this time, Hiei,' she muttered lightly as she carefully ran her fingers over his wounds to heal them.

It started of the night during their return from their first mission. She had offered to heal him and, though reluctantly, the fire demon had agreed. At first she had been nervousewhen taking apart his garments, but after a while, the ferry woman had gotten used to seeing his bare chest. Ever since that day, she had been having visits from the wounded koorime night after night. It was weird, though, how her mind always seemed to be looking forward to these night treatments. Afterall, how would his being unconscious appeal to her?

As the ferry girl continued to work, the fire demon plucked up the courage to crack open an eye. He almost smirked. He had never truly been unconscious during his medications.

8 months back... 11 months before present time...

'Use this potion to help conceal your identity,' instructed Isamu to both Hiei and Botan, just as the troops were about to leave. 'It will change your energy patterns to fit those of a lower-classed demon. It might also alter your image a bit, though, so be warned. This potion will only last for about two hours each, so be quick about it.'

Isamu handed them the fluid-filled vials and in turn dug a hand through his pockets and rummaged it until he found what he had been looking for. It was a small, fist-sized, mechanical instrument. A "walkie-talkie".

'Use those to contact Joey, Touya, Jin and Chuu,' he explained once they had accepted it from him. 'Once they're done with their missions you two can return to base. Got that?'

Botan nodded her head promptly. Hiei merely grunted ominously.

Botan's pupils dilated three times from its original size and took up a glossy red colour, a bright shade when compared to Hiei's deep, blood-red ones. Her lips, too, seemed more pursed together and her skin grew scaly and grey; almost as if she was sick. Her usual lop of messy blue hair darkened to a less vivid hue. It was now midnight blue – a colour in which, the dark-cloaked fire demon had decided did not suit her bright, optimistic personality at all.

Hiei, on the other hand, did not resort to such a drastic change. Instead, his usual spiked hair fell forward, almost shielding his eyes like black curtains. His skin-tone was a tint greener than usual, but aside from that, nothing else had changed.

Botans fingers ran through the rough, wiry locks of her dark blue hair before slinking into the shadows alongside her partner.

The koorime pressed his clawed index finger to his lips, a sign that meant for her to keep still and quiet. Slowly and carefully, the Jaganshi thief snuck in between the troops with grace that gratified his name as infamous Makai criminal almost precisely. Hiei nodded once he was in positioned, motioning for the ferry woman to make her move.

With an intake of breath, Botan slipped out of her hiding spot, doing her best to imitate the movements shown by Hiei earlier. It was much more difficult than it looked it seemed, and in a matter of moments, the ferry girl found herself face-flat against the earth. She moaned pitifully when she heard the incoming footsteps.

'Who are you?' demanded a bulky blue demon gruffly, grabbing the poor ferry woman by her collar and pulling her up in a rude, painful gesture.

Hiei almost slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead in aggitation. He knew it! That ferry girl would ruin everything! Just as he was about to sneak out of cover and pull her out of her own humiliating capture, however, the ferry girl opened her mouth to speak...

'Release me!' ordered Botan, her usual perky voice coming out as a heavy hiss. The potion wasn't meant to do that. Perhaps the onna was smarter than she deemed in his eyes? 'I am an inspector for the Empress herself! She sent me here to assure you fools don't go ruining her plans!'

The demon's face twisted unsurely. 'What sector are you?' he snapped.

Shit, thought Hiei, ever the pessimistic one. We didn't even last five minutes, damnit!

'Sector A-500-92!' replied Botan, snappily, the thick, evil hiss still lingering on her tongue.

'A-500-92...?' repeated the demon in question. He seemed curious and suspicious. 'How come I've never heard of that before?'

'Because its private, you oaf, now release me before I slaughter you!' cried Botan, shoving his meaty hand off her with narrowed eyes. Back stiff, arms folded, the ferry girl – now in the form of a great, menacing demoness – crossed her way over to Hiei. She gave him a coy wink before strutting off with her demon-mode in peak position.

Without realising it, Hiei Jaganshi smirked.

Maybe he didn't give that ferry onna enough credit after all.

Did you realize the mistake? That yoyo dude... I FORGOT HIS NAME! So I named him "Joey"... I searched everywhere for his REAL name, but I couldn't find it... Since the name "Joey" always came popping up in my head I decided to use it in the end.

Anyways, I think I overdid this one... and the ending sounds a little too rushed... but, seriously! I could NOT cut you guys off without any real plot, right? My original idea was to end it off after Isamu said, '...you will escort her...', but for some reason, I decided to lengthen it. Comment me and tell me if it was TOO long!

SORRY!


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