Echoes V


Creature of the Night



Yo-mawari sat alone at the kitchen table, his hands wrapped snugly around the 
heated ceramic of a teacup. His dark eyes stared at nothing, mirroring the 
moonlight that flooded the apartment through the curtainless windows. The small 
analogue clock on the wall read five minutes past midnight, but he didn’t notice 
or care, lost in his own thoughts. He had been sitting there for nearly two 
hours now, musing silently to himself, ignoring his brother’s suggestion that he 
should rest, get some sleep.
He wanted to sleep, but there was something that prevented him from finding that 
comforting, forgetful solace in the night. He felt a vague sense of ... of 
something, a feeling that nagged and muttered at the back of his mind, a warning 
of something he couldn’t comprehend. He had felt this only twice before in his 
long life - once before the house he had been raised in was set to the torch by 
raiders, and the day he had met the small, snarling youkai who had dragged so 
many others into his life, including a brother he had long thought best 
forgotten ...
There was a light, whispering touch in his mind, a familiar mind-voice twining 
into his awareness. :Kyodai?: The mental question was a murmur, it’s tone 
hovering on the edge of sleep. :Don’t tell me you’re still awake - I told you to 
go to bed! But you didn’t listen to me, did you?:
He smiled, amused, sending back a warm mental hug, a silent reassurance. :No, I 
didn’t. Gomen. I’ll go to sleep soon, I promise.:
:That’s what you said last time,: his brother’s voice reminded him playfully, 
before the tone became serious once more. :What’s wrong?:
:Nothing’s wrong,: he replied firmly. :Go back to sleep.:
:Not until you tell me what’s wrong,: Kurama replied stubbornly. :I can keep 
this up all night, if I have to.:
:There is nothing wrong,: he repeated again, firmly, giving his brother’s 
awareness the mental equivalent to a light shove. :Go back to your dreams, 
kyodai-kun. You need sleep more than I do - after all, I’m not the one with a 
job to go to, tomorrow. Ryoko-san has been handling the company well in your 
absence, but she’ll be glad when you take that responsibility back. She’s only 
your secretary, y’know.:
His brother’s response was the mental equivalent to a raspberry. :Okay, okay. 
I’ll let you go, this time. But next time, I expect you to tell me just what the 
hell’s bothering you.:
:And if nothing is?: he asked innocently.
:Don’t pull that trick with me, Yo-mawari,: Kurama warned, stressing the name to 
indicate how serious he was. :I know you, and what kind of tricks you’ll be 
bound to use. I’ve used them m’self, at times. Next time you stay up late and 
brood like this, I’ll stay with you and keep you company.:
:Meijin won’t like that,: he replied with a faint, rueful smile.
Kurama’s tone was flippant as he replied. :Then he can stay up with us, too.:
Yo-mawari laughed, then gave his brother another mental hug, and another light 
push. :Now - go back to sleep!: he insisted, gently breaking off their mental 
connection and returning to his earlier thoughts. 
In the silence that followed their silent conversation, it felt suddenly very 
quiet in the little kitchen, and Yo-mawari felt absurdly isolated, though he 
knew both Hiei and Kurama were close; he could easily reach their bedroom in the 
space of two heartbeats. But that wasn’t the point ...
His mind began to wander again as he idly stirred his cooling tea, watching the 
clear amber-brown liquid swirl in the cup. He saw himself, three years after his 
coming-of-age, when the raiders had descended on Obasan’s home, turning the 
large, fine house into a smoking pile of rubble; heard Obasan’s sharp command 
for him to run, to take his own life and flee, even as the howling crowd 
descended on her, their weapons flying as they mutilated her body. He had known 
she was dead, before he had even left the area - he only prayed that it had been 
relatively painless; that none of the youkai who had killed her were able to 
defile her body.
For a moment, he saw Obasan again, her face swirling in the cold amber liquid of 
his teacup, eyeing him sternly. Her shoulder-length, golden-brown hair swirled 
around her face, and her gray eyes were hard as slate, raking over him with that 
same critical, intelligent glare. Her lips moved in some silent scolding, but 
when he shook the cup, rippling the tea, the image shattered, leaving him 
staring at a reflection of his own pale, black-eyed face.
Briefly, he reached out to touch Kurama’s mind with his own and smiled at what 
he found - his brother was comfortably wrapped in the thick blanket of sweet 
dreams, dreams that were distinctly erotic in tone, mostly involving a certain 
red-eyed youkai and several lengths of rope. He chuckled to himself, his low 
voice loud in the silence, setting the cup in the sink and padding to his own 
bedroom, dropping into bed without bothering to shuck his robe off first.
For a few minutes longer, he lay, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. He 
could feel sleep tugging at the edges of his awareness, like the playful touch 
of a lover, but he ignored it for a moment, reflecting back on events of the 
recent weeks. So much had happened ... his brother’s miraculous return home; the 
whirlwind of last-minute planning as thoughts once more returned to Yukina’s 
delayed marriage; meeting Kuraihana in that run-down little inn. The last 
thought/memory made him smile; he tried to picture the pretty young woman as a 
little girl, to some success - it was somehow easy to see a chibi version of her 
present-day self, riding on Kurama’s shoulders and laughing happily at the 
world.
He closed his eyes, allowing himself to succumb to the pleasant drowsiness that 
played on his awareness. As the waking world slid away, he found himself 
confronted by the image of a small, delicate girl-child with glittering eyes of 
sapphire blue, standing against a bright sunset, her small frame outline in 
light as she smiled at him, waving, as if to wish him well on his way to dreams.






The early morning sun shot a bright ray across Kurama’s eyes, making him squint 
them more tightly shut, turning to his other side before finally giving up. He 
turned away from the windows and opened his eyes, blinking sleepily, staring at 
the empty sheets beside him, unsurprised to find that Hiei was already awake and 
out of bed. Yo-mawari was probably already awake too, Kurama thought ruefully 
even as he sat up and yawned widely; he always seemed to be the one most given 
to sleeping late and reveling in the precious few minutes of lying sleepily in 
the bed and trying to hype himself up for the day.
But then, he was the only one of them with a real job. Which reminded him ... he 
groaned to himself, swinging his long legs over the side of the bed and 
straightening. Too damn early for people to be going to work, he grumbled 
mentally to himself, shrugging into his favorite old robe, dark forest green in 
color, and padding for the kitchen. As suspected, he found his brother sipping 
lightly at a cup of coffee, with Hiei seated on the couch, meticulously 
polishing his katana.
“Ohayou, you two,” he greeted, sliding into the chair across from his brother 
and snagging a section of the newspaper and flipping absently to it. Yo-mawari 
nodded a return greeting, pushing another hot cup at him, and he sipped at it 
absently, burning his tongue in his haste to get some caffeine into his system. 
He thought he heard a low chuckle from his brother, but paid no heed as he 
engrossed himself in the stocks, grumbling and making notes to himself.
After a few moments, he became aware of a light tapping from nearby. Irritated, 
he glanced up, and saw both Hiei and Yo-mawari standing at the sliding glass 
doors that led to the small balcony, the sunlight glinting off his lover’s 
katana as the small youkai leaned forward to study their little visitor.
It was small, vaguely birdlike in appearance, with a thick collar of gray spikes 
surrounding it’s neck. Small, bright yellow eyes, like little gems, stared 
blankly up at them, like the beady, unassuming gaze of a squirrel, or pigeon. 
Sharp red bursts streaked the thing’s head, like a bloody crown, and a small 
brown pouch was deftly tied to it’s left leg, scaly and yellow-green in color. 
It waddled around the edge of the door, tapping it’s sharp orange beak against 
the glass window, chirring softly.
Kurama studied the thing for a few moments before opening the door, stooping 
down to lift it and carefully pulled a tightly rolled scroll from the leg-pouch. 
The birdlike messenger hopped around on it’s clumsy perch on his arm, pecking 
lightly at the neatly tied string that bound the yellowed sheet. Sliding the 
twine off, he folded the thing and began to read, eyes glancing from side to 
side, his face becoming progressively more grave as he read.
The messenger gave another little chirr, scrambling down Kurama’s arm, gripping 
the cloth of his sleeve with it’s sharp little claws, making a small leap onto 
Yo-mawari’s shoulder. It cocked it’s head to one side, then proceeded to preen a 
little of his black locks, jabbing them into a semi-neat position behind his 
ear. He ignored it, leaning forward to peer over his brother’s shoulder, 
frowning as he tried to read the strange, scrawled characters written there. 
“Eh? What’s this?”
Kurama ignored him, his grip tightening somewhat on the note as he finished and 
sighed deeply, folding it and tucking it under his arm. He reached out with one 
hand, extending two fingers for the messenger to grasp. It chirred at him, then 
waddled onto the proffered digits, ruffling the thick spiky feathers around it’s 
neck, staring blankly at him. He tapped it on the forehead lightly, settling the 
tip of his index finger between the beady eyes, staring directly at them, and 
began to speak in a low voice, rapidly, in some language that neither of the 
other two had ever heard before.
When he finished his lecture, it squeaked and fluffed itself again, almost 
seeming to nod. He opened the window and heaved lightly, sending the thing into 
the air, watching grimly as it’s chubby little wings began to flail clumsily, 
propelling it higher, until it was out of sight. His shoulders slumped slightly, 
and he rubbed his forehead slowly, brow tight with some remembered pain. 
Concerned, Yo-mawari touched the former’s shoulder, shaking it lightly as he 
leaned forward to look him in the face. “What’s wrong, kyodai?” he asked softly.
Kurama drew in a deep breath, shuddering a little as he looked blankly at his 
brother, green eyes dilated and darting nervously from side to side. Alarmed, 
Yo-mawari shook him harder, even as Hiei moved to stand closer to Kurama, 
peering up into the redheaded youko’s face.
“It’s Kuraihana,” he said dully, and Yo-mawari drew back sharply, hissing 
something under his breath. His brother shook himself a little, glancing at him 
sharply. “Nothing’s happened to her yet, but she’s in grave danger, if what the 
notice says is true.”
“Why? What’s wrong with her?” Yo-mawari demanded, in spite of himself, feeling 
some small little jump in his throat as he waited for his brother’s reply. 
Unwillingly, his mind flashed back to their obasan’s death so long ago; to the 
raiders that had pulled her down and ripped her throat out. The idea anyone 
would dare do something to Kuraihana - she was a healer, for Inari’s sake! - 
stirred something in him, a slowly smoldering anger that ate restlessly at his 
mind.
As if sensing his thoughts, Kurama laid a hand on Yo-mawari’s arm, meant to be 
comforting, though all it truly did was dissolve his red-hazed vision. He glared 
darkly at his brother out of the corner of his eye, as Kurama took a deep 
breath, taking the paper up again and studying it for a few minutes before he 
began to read. His voice shook at a few places, trembling with combined emotions 
- fear, anger, worry - and they listened intently:
“Ojisan -
“Do you remember, when I was a child, how I once asked you about the creature 
known as the Tamashii-Satsujinhan’nin? And how you scolded me violently, told me 
to never so much as breath the name, unless I absolutely must?
“I am writing this as a prisoner in my own home. A few days back, while 
gathering some of the herbs that grow in the surrounding forests, I heard a 
scream that was too much like the one I heard that night so long ago, and I 
fled. Once inside, I was met by the dorei, who gave me solemn news. At times, 
the thing seems almost like a seer, making the oddest predictions with unerring 
accuracy. And this time, the message was anything but comforting.
“‘Beware!’ it told me. ‘It hungers, m’lady, it hungers, and what it desires you 
have and it wants it, will try and eat and kill and plunder to gain all you 
have. Beware, be wary, watch your back in the darkness of the night!’
“The words frightened me greatly, but when I was calmed enough to gain control 
of my senses, I cast a scrying. The message was not good; if anything, it was 
possibly worse than the words of my dorei.
“I saw myself, Ojisan; I saw myself wrapped in darkness, with something huge and 
dangerous nearby. Inside that body, I saw a thousand whirling, trapped souls, 
and their combined cries came together to create that hideous wail that I can 
never forget. I saw other things as well; darkness parting under a silver rose, 
a waterfall turning black with mud, and a pair of glowing red eyes, like a 
wolf’s, staring at me from the darkness.
“I am not sure what the visions mean - I am only a healer, despite all your 
attempts to make me a fighter. But that is not what matters at the moment - my 
condition, truly, is. There are those who need my help, Ojisan; the wounded and 
sick who are crying out for a healer. I would go to them, but the Creature 
continues to lurk around my house. I feel it’s ki and hear it’s screams almost 
daily; it chills me and makes me draw farther into my home. I dare not venture 
outwards, despite how desperate those cries for my help become.
“Ojisan, while you were in my care, you told me that you worked for Koenma-sama, 
lord of the Reikai. I am asking you to ask for his help in this situation. While 
I know that those of the Reikai rarely lower themselves to associate with the 
happenings of the Makai, but this truly concerns him and his ilk, as well as 
ourselves. You have told me what it does, how it is truly so evil, and I am sure 
that Koenma-sama would be interested in a chance to retrieve those shattered 
souls, to see if there is any hope for them.
“I give my love to you, Ojisan, and hope that you can arrange something. I 
cannot stay within my home for much longer - sooner or later, I will be forced 
to leave. And by then, I hope that the Creature has been dealt with.
“Kuraihana.”
Kurama’s voice trailed off softly, and he closed his eyes again, breath hissing 
out between clenched teeth. “I don’t know if you know exactly what the 
Tamashii-Satsujinhan’nin is,” he whispered, “but I will say this: if Karasu were 
still alive -” here, he clenched a tight fist over his heart, teeth pulling back 
from his lips in a snarl of remembered hatred - “I would not wish for him to 
encounter it, despite all he has done. None deserve that kind of eternal torture 
- not even him. And certainly not Kuraihana.”
Hiei blinked calmly at his lover, sheathing the katana in a smooth movement and 
raising a fine black eyebrow. “And what, exactly, is this thing, that is so 
horrible? What could make you so afraid?”
Kurama threw his hands up, and began to pace nervously, hands knotted behind his 
back in tight fists. “It’s ... it’s hard to describe, but if you see it, hear 
it’s call, you’ll know what it is. It’s horrible; something unforgettable, 
terrifying and fascinating at the same time. You know what a soul-eater is, ne?” 
At their nods, he continued. “Well, the ... the Creature, for lack of better 
description - I don’t wish to speak that name more than I absolutely must - is 
of the same species, just a different subpart of it.
“Unlike the soul-eater, who merely devours a soul and destroys it completely, 
with no chance for reincarnation, the Creature locks the souls within it, the 
poison of having no soul of its own slowly warping those it absorbs, making them 
like the Creature, yet still uniquely themselves. They say that those Eaten 
never loose their awareness of what they once were, be they ningen or youkai - 
and that for all eternity, they remain inside the Creature, slowly dying, but 
never able to fully give itself up.” Kurama paused and ran his hands through his 
hair with a ragged breath, staring at them. “I don’t want Kuraihana to suffer 
that. I promised Kuronue that I would never let anything like that happen to her 
... I don’t want to break that promise to him.”
Hiei snorted something unintelligible under his breath, though his red gaze was 
considerably softer than it’s usual hard stare as he watched his lover pace. 
“Your promises meant a lot to you, even then, didn’t they?” he asked softly, 
turning his head to watch as Kurama stomped over to the couch and collapsed 
heavily, covering his face with his eyes.
Kurama laughed, the sound hard, short, and even somewhat bitter. “My promises? 
No, not really. Most of them were forgotten in the next heartbeat - but the one 
I made to Kuronue was different. The chibi-hana is different. Hiei, I was there 
when she was born - I was the first out of her blood-family to hold her! She is, 
in a way, my daughter, as well as Kuronue’s - she is the only one of my children 
I have ever remembered all that fondly. When I make a promise to protect 
someone, or something, that I love, I take those seriously. Even before I knew 
how to be a human.” He sat up straighter, meeting Hiei’s eyes evenly, a thousand 
wordless messages relaying back and forth between the two of them. Yo-mawari 
shifted, slightly uncomfortable at being a witness to this scene; it was 
probably the closest he had ever seen to a fight between them.
“Nevertheless,” Hiei finally said, his voice quiet, thoughtful, “the girl is 
right. Koenma will probably be sticking his nose into this sort of business, 
once hears of it. It would probably be better to tell him now, and get it over 
with - Yukina’s wedding is in two weeks.” He said it firmly, his voice conveying 
the feelings his words did not. A fierce, loving protectiveness for her sister, 
desire to prevent anything to further delay the happy event than it had already 
been, despite his disapproval of her choice.
The twins nodded silently in agreement, and the silence stretched out for a 
long, long time.






Yuusuke stretched lazily, pulling the sheets up to drape over his bare waist, 
yawning widely as he pulled one arm possessively over Keiko’s slender shoulders. 
She murmured something in her sleep, snuggling closer, rubbing her cheek against 
his chest. He smiled broadly, feeling utterly content with his life and the 
world at large - Kurama was back with them, Kuwabara’s marriage to Yukina would 
finally take place in two weeks, and there had been no mission from Koenma since 
Kurama’s disappearance, leaving him with more time to spend with his Keiko. 
That, he decided with an impish, secret smile, was his favorite part about the 
whole thing.
It probably wouldn’t last, though, he mused. Once they all thought Kurama was 
fully recovered from - from whatever had happened to him, in his long absence - 
missions would start up again, and the relatively normal peace of everyday life 
would go back to be a wistfully thought-of dream. But, for now ... Yuusuke 
yawned again, pulling Keiko closer, and allowed his eyelids to droop, willing 
himself to have pleasant dreams ...
“Yuuuuusuuukeeeeee!!” a voice wailed outside, shrill and cheerful, pitching him 
out of his languid contentment. Keiko stirred, opening one soft brown eye and 
blinking in sleepy annoyance at him as he sat up, rubbing his ears lightly. The 
voice came again, somehow carrying through the closed window, and he winced as 
it shrilled a few notes higher. “Yoo hoo, Yuusuke! Outside!”
He grabbed a pair of crumpled jeans from the floor, stuffing his long legs into 
them and turning towards the window, grouching to himself. Yanking the window 
open, he poked his head out and glared at the giggling blue-haired girl who 
perched outside his window, hovering in midair, perfectly balanced on her 
trademarked oar. “Nanda, Botan?” he snapped peevishly, raking a hand through his 
hair and blinking owlishly at her, her slender frame outlined by the 
early-morning sunlight.
She shrugged at him, glancing over her shoulder, looking down at the streets 
below, where the busy streets were reduced to the size of a child’s playset. For 
a few moments, she continued to stare, paling noticeably, swaying slightly, 
almost overbalancing before she caught herself and shuddered. “Woo! Never 
thought I would be one to be afraid of heights! Ironic, ne? I’ve been doing this 
for years, and I still get freaked about heights if I start looking down ...” 
she trailed off in a giggle, winking at him.
Keiko moved up to stand beside him, wrapped modestly in a dark pink robe, 
covering her yawn with one small hand. She cocked her head to one side when she 
saw Botan, perhaps unconsciously leaning against Yuusuke, who took her hand and 
squeezed it lightly. “What’s going on?” she asked softly, turning to look first 
at Botan, then at Yuusuke.
The blue-haired girl coughed a little, now looking somewhat embarrassed. “Well, 
y’see, the twins have some sorta news for you guys ... Koenma-sama received a 
notice from them and went totally wild - he actually threw a temper tantrum! 
Kinda cute, really ...” she smiled briefly before continuing. “To cut the story 
short, he ordered me into his office and basically threatened me with the loss 
of my job - as if he could really afford to fire me! - if I didn’t go and get 
you guys. I’m s’posed to drag you all back to the Reikai so he can order you 
around in person.” She shrugged again. “Other’n that? I dunno. Hell, I don’t 
even know what got Koenma-sama so upset! He’s usually so calm about these things 
...”
Yuusuke sighed heavily, grouching something under his breath as he drew back, 
grabbing his shirt from the foot of the bed and tugging it on, fumbling with the 
buttons as he stumbled into the bathroom. He had known this vacation was too 
good to last for very long - he sighed again, leaning over the sink and 
splashing his face with icy water, shivering as the liquid rose goosebumps along 
his face and arms. He dried his face and stomped out of the bathroom, still 
grumbling to himself under his breath.
Botan was now inside the apartment, perched lightly on the bed, swinging her 
legs playfully. “You ready to go yet?” she asked, annoyingly cheerful, hopping 
to her feet. Yuusuke growled at her, but he nodded anyway, pausing briefly to 
kiss Keiko’s forehead before following her outside, down the stairs, and into 
the busy streets. None seemed to notice her odd garb, nor the oar she held in 
one hand - a phenomenon that had bothered Yuusuke at first, but something he had 
eventually grown accustomed to; he didn’t give it a second thought as he 
clambered on behind his companion, steeling himself for the stomach-churning 
takeoff. Botan seemed to take some sadistic delight in aerial acrobatics, 
flipping and swooping, diving sickeningly close to the ground, zooming 
dizzyingly high into the clouds, and then crashing through the thick misty 
wetness as if though nothing were there. He gulped and held on tightly to her 
waist - though he was sure Botan would never let him - or anyone else she 
carried - fall from their great height, he wouldn’t take any chances.
“Here we gooooo!” she cheered, and he gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as 
they shot into the air. “Wheeee!!”
He swallowed hard as he felt his stomach heave, thankfully empty, and gripped 
her waist tighter, hands fisting on the soft material of her kimono. She 
giggled, a sound lost in the whistling of the wind around them, and he felt the 
oar jerk underneath them, an extra burst of speed that nearly sent his heart 
flying from its wedged position in his throat. He hated doing this ...
And then, suddenly, they landed with a harsh jolt. He shivered inwardly, 
mentally checking himself over to see if anything vital had been shaken loose in 
that stupid ride. Everything seemed in working order, so he cautiously opened 
one eye, and found himself staring directly into Botan’s cheerfully smiling 
face. “We’re here, Yuusuke! ’Course, you don’t need me to tell you that, ne?” 
She giggled and stepped out of the way, giving him room to stand. Shakily, he 
swung his right leg over the oar and stood, swaying a little, and tried to take 
a step ... the world suddenly began to rotate around him, blindingly fast, and 
he felt a little ill, like the time he had allowed Keiko to drag him onto a 
rollar coaster.
He tottered, almost fell, when slender, strong hands caught his shoulder, 
pulling him firmly back to his feet and supporting him. He glanced over his 
shoulder - Kurama nodded once, quietly, smiling, though the expression seemed 
forced, the smaller man’s mind obviously on something else. He could see Hiei’s 
slender figure hovering behind Kurama, with the taller frame of Yo-mawari 
flanking his twin.
“Okay, guys!” Botan called, even as she swung herself back onto the oar. “Gotta 
go get Kuwa-chan now! Koenma-sama’s waitin’ in his office - don’t go anywhere 
’til I get back, okay?” She flashed them a V-sign and grinned, shooting up into 
the clouds, gone from sight within a heartbeat. Yuusuke took a deep breath, 
trying to calm his nerves and racing heart, then cracked an eye open to glare at 
Kurama.
“Yo. Now, what the hell’s so important that Koenma’s gotta drag me outta bed at 
this ungodly hour -”
“Actually, it’s already ten-thirty,” Yo-mawari remarked mildly from the 
background, though Yuusuke paid no heed.
“- wake me and Keiko up at this ungodly hour and drag me all the way to the 
Reikai, and for what? What, I ask? Do you guys know?” he straightened slightly, 
the world easing to a halt, Kurama stepping back to watch him impassively. 
Yuusuke threw his arms open in a dramatic gesture, glaring at the cloudy sky. 
“Why, may I ask, do we have to come here? Tell me whyyyyy ...” his voice trailed 
off in a whine as he glared at his three teammates, crossing his arms petulantly 
over his chest.
Kurama’s expression darkened slightly, his face worried as he looked upwards, 
scanning the sky, refusing to meet Yuusuke’s glare. “It’s hard to explain,” he 
murmured softly. “Koenma will probably do a better job than I.” He sighed 
heavily, and Hiei touched his hand briefly, a blindingly swift movement, light 
and almost nonexistent, but still comforting. Kurama smiled down at his lover, 
then shook his head, almost sadly.
“Explain what? WHAT?!” Yuusuke demanded, snapping peevishly. He’d never been a 
morning person, no matter how late in the morning it was, and none of the events 
were doing anything to alleviate his foul mood. Seeing he was getting no 
response, he clenched a fist and gritted out between clenched teeth, “Would 
someone kindly mind explaining this to me? I hate being left in the dark, y’know 
...”
Before the three before him could reply, they heard a loud, shrill wail cut 
through the air, a sound closely echoed by a familiar giggle. Botan burst 
through the clouds, leaving a misty trail behind her, a huge body hunched up 
tightly behind her, holding on for life and sanity. She did a few more artistic 
twirls, showing off, then dove towards the ground, pulling up short at the last 
minute and hovering, close enough for her to step down from. “Kuwabara-kun, you 
can get down now,” she trilled happily, brushing a few loose blue strands of 
hair from her face.
Kuwabara didn’t reply, other than what sounded like a mumbled prayer repeated 
over and over again. Botan frowned, an expression that made her look more silly 
than anything else, twisting in place to glare at the man who cowered behind 
her. “Oi! Kuwa-chan! We’re here; you can open your eyes now! We’re not that far 
from the ground ...” she rolled her eyes, then freed a hand to grab his shoulder 
and shake him. “C’mon! Koenma-sama’s waiting!”
Yuusuke growled something under his breath, stalking towards the floating oar 
and grabbing the sleeve of Kuwabara’s jacket, pulling hard. The large man let 
out a squeal of surprise as he was forcfully jerked from place, toppling to the 
ground, landing partly on Yuusuke, who let out a startled grunt at the sudden 
weight. Yuusuke shoved angrily at the bulky body halfway atop his, wiggling and 
growling. “Get OFF of me, you oaf! Getoffgetoffgetoff!!”
Kuwabara’s head jerked up, and for a moment, his eyes meet Yuusuke’s before he 
let out a disgusted shout and scrambled backwards, crashing into Botan, who had 
just stepped off her oar. She let out a squeak of surprise, stumbling backwards, 
almost falling until Yo-mawari stepped up, easily catching her. She glared 
silently at them as Kuwabara got to his feet, tottering dizzily, then shaking 
himself like a dog out of water. “Oi, Urameshi! What’s going on?” he complained, 
rubbing the back of his neck.
“That’s what I want to know,” Yuusuke muttered, glaring at the other four. Botan 
only shrugged innocently, while Hiei glared and the twins glanced at each other.
“Let’s go, guys!” Botan complained, pulling free of Yo-mawari’s grasp. 
“Koenma-sama’s waiting! And he ain’t in the best of moods, so I’d suggest we get 
there soon as possible, ne?” She took off down the dark corridor at a light 
clip, pausing and waving at them to hurry up.
Grumbling, Yuusuke and Kuwabara ran after her, while the three youkai followed 
at their leisure, unhurried, Kurama falling slightly behind, staring 
determinedly at his feet. Hiei slowed as well, glancing at his lover, then back 
at Yo-mawari, whose dark form had blended into the shadows, the dark youko 
almost caught up with the two humans. Hesitantly, Hiei reached out, touching 
Kurama’s hand in a slower, more easily visible caress, and Kurama’s head jerked 
up, looking into Hiei’s deep red eyes. There was a moment of pure silence, and 
then the redhead smiled wanly, nodding silently at the smaller youkai before 
speeding his pace, hurrying to catch up.
Koenma sat in his chair, which, as always, seemed ridiculously large for his 
preferred chibi form. He was chewing furiously on the Fukuumen, glaring at them 
through thin eyes, nodding slightly at them as they filed in. He gestured for 
Botan to lock the door, then straightened, opening his eyes wider to study them 
all. As always, they seemed to split themselves into two groups - Yuusuke and 
Kuwabara slouching together, shoulders almost touching; Kurama and Hiei standing 
dangerously close, with Yo-mawari hovering directly behind them. Botan nodded 
once, indicating the door was locked and wards were up in place, and, satisfied, 
Koenma began to speak, glaring at them all.
“I recently recieved news that one member of a certain youkai race, one long 
thought to be extinct, has been spotted wandering around the Makai. This thing 
is terribly dangerous, more because of what it doesn’t do, rather than what it 
does.”
“Eh?” Yuusuke perked up; the prospect of a fight glittered in his brown eyes as 
he grinned and slammed a fist into his open palm. “And what’s that?”
Koenma narrowed his eyes, glaring at black-haired man. “Killing souls.”
Yuusuke blinked and raised an eyebrow, as Koenma continued. “If it just merely 
ate souls and destroyed them, we of the Reikai wouldn’t be as concerned - oh, 
we’d still be monitoring them and sending a few teams out at times to curb the 
problems if they got too intense, but this is different. The creature is 
probably more dangerous than anything you have ever come across in your careers 
as the Reikai-Tantei, and probably more dangerous than anything you ever will 
encounter - so you must be careful.” He crossed his arms, sucking on the 
Fukuumen, glaring. “The Tamashii-Satsujinhan’nin is nothing to take lightly.”
Botan, Kurama, and Yo-mawari had all gone pale at the mention of the creature. 
The girl raised one hand to her mouth, her eyes wide and incredulous as she 
stared at the tiny figure of her boss; Kurama’s hands had tightened, his nails 
digging into his palms, drawing a few bright droplets of blood; Yo-mawari let 
out a small hiss of anger, his black eyes glittering with some unnamed emotion.
Yuusuke blinked in surprise, scratching his head, Kuwabara mirroring his 
actions. “Soul-Killer?” the former asked, cocking his head to one side. He 
studied the reactions of the others, then frowned, returning his attention to 
Koenma, who stood quietly watching them, his tiny face grave.
“Hai,” he said finally, his voice soft. “That’s what it’s called, though that’s 
not its truename. That is a Name only my father knows, and I am not going to ask 
him for it - the commonname is accurate enough.” Something flashed in the narrow 
little eyes, a spark of something - fear, perhaps? - as Koenma sighed deeply, 
then pulled a book from the stack cluttering his desk, opening it to a certain 
page and turning it so that they could see the illustration.
In full graphic detail, they saw the thing - it was huge, taking up almost both 
pages, and the little notes at the side indicated that, in the flesh, the 
creature would stand a good fifteen feet high. Its skin was a pale, pasty gray, 
hammered thin like sheaves of light metal, a thin network of blue veins highly 
visible under the translucent flesh. It was vaguely human in appearence, with a 
misshapen head that sported four narrow violet eyes - two in the area of it’s 
forehead, and two directly above the slavering mouth, full of broken yellow 
fangs that looked wickedly sharp. Electric green spikes ran from the exact top 
of its head, trailing down its body to end in a cluster of soft-looking spikes 
on the tip of its lizard-like tail, and the claws of its hands and feet were 
painted the same nauseous green color.
In the small space remaining, a thin, spidery script was scrawled across the 
page, written in some foreign language, and Kurama bent forward, squinting 
slightly, trying to read the characters, then glancing up at Koenma. The latter 
nodded once, and he began to read, his voice hesitant, stumbling over the words 
as he translated - Yo-mawari, leaning over his brother’s shoulders, recognized 
the odd characters as the same ones that had been printed on Kuraihana’s letter.
“‘Tamashii-Satsujinhan’nin,’” he read, “‘Soul-Killer. A creature of immense 
power, that kills by the venom of its claws and fangs. It will wound the victim 
through its poison, and suckle the blood from the body, drawing the weakened 
soul into itself, absorbing the ki and killing the empty shell. The soul is then 
forever trapped inside the Soul-Killer, driven slowly insane by the twisted 
emptiness of the creature, yet keeping its own awareness, and remembering what 
they had once been. If a Soul-Killer is destroyed, the ravaged souls have a very 
small chance of recovery - only those Taken within the past two days have any 
true chance at regaining themselves. Afterwards, the soul is considered beyond 
redemption and shattered to prevent any more unneeded suffering.’”
Koenma nodded once. “Hai. And this is exactly why I’ve gathered you five here. 
You are probably the best team of the Reikai-Tantei to come along for a very 
long time; I know this a great deal to ask, but I need you five to enter the 
Makai, and, if possible, destroy the Tamashii-Satsujinhan’nin.”
Silence fell over them all, thicker and more depressing than before, at his 
solemn pronoucement. Botan looked ill, swaying in place, her hand still pressed 
tightly to her mouth. Kurama’s eyes had darkened, shadowing into a smokey forest 
green; Yo-mawari was equally grim, one hand ghosting to his hip, resting lightly 
on the ornate hilt of the katana that was snugly sheathed there. Hiei narrowed 
his eyes, glaring at Koenma; Yuusuke blinked in bemusement, and Kuwabara looked 
downwards, his face troubled.
The large man looked up, swallowing nervously as he studied the childlike 
ancient before him with darkened eyes. “How ... how soon do you want us on the 
job?” he asked hesitantly.
Hiei glared at him, about to scold him for chickening out on a mission when, 
belatedly, the memory of the date hit home: two weeks until Yukina’s wedding. If 
Kuwabara - or any of them, really - were wounded during the fight, the wedding 
would be pulled back even further, and no one deserved to wait that long - 
especially not his sister. Not even a moron like Kuwabara should have to wait 
...
Koenma sighed heavily, his tiny shoulders slumping, as if he, too, had just 
realized what he had asked. He looked worn, tired, but his voice was hard, 
determined, when he spoke. “Gomen ne, Kuwabara, but we need you to get on this 
case as soon as possible - if the creature were merely wandering blindly around 
the Makai, we might have been able to send another team in your place - but this 
is different. It has several hostages held in their own home, and we have to 
deal with this soon as possible.”
“It has hostages?” Yuusuke piped up, his brow furrowing as his eyes narrowed, 
leaning foward slightly. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Do you know who’s being 
trapped?”
Koenma nodded shortly, but before he could say anything, Yo-mawari stepped 
forward. “Hai. We recieved a note from her earlier today - she is Kuraihana, 
Kurama’s niece, and a damn good healer.” Almost unconsciously, he rubbed his 
arm, running his fingers down the healed skin of the scar she had bandaged at 
their first meeting. “She sounds desparate; we can’t just abandon her ... !”
Kurama turned his head slightly, watching his brother from the corner of his 
eye, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. Despite the dark look that still 
lurked in his eyes, his mouth twitched in a barely noticeable smile, though he 
quickly looked away before his brother noticed, steeling himself once again. 
“Hai. As I’ve told kyodai and Hiei - I made a promise to Kuronue, years ago, 
that I would never allow anything to happen to mei-chan. I don’t intend to break 
that promise now, after all this time.
“I’m leaving as soon as this meeting is over.”
Hiei glared at his lover, face impassive, though his eyes danced with veiled 
concerns - worry, fear, even love - were visible in the ruby depths, and he 
shifted infinitesimally closer to his lover, nodding sharply. “I’m going too,” 
he announced calmly, allowing his tone to speak for him - he wasn’t about to let 
his lover out of his sight, not in the light of recent events. Though he was a 
good head shorter than Kurama, for a moment, he seemed the larger - the 
protector, the agressor, the powerful lord who so jealously guarded his precious 
treasure. Kurama flashed the smallest of smiles at his lover, though his gaze 
was steely, hard green emeralds in his pale face as he turned his bright gaze 
around the room.
Yuusuke sighed. “Guess we have no choice, ne, Kuwabara?” he asked his friend, 
punching the larger man’s shoulder before turning to glare at Botan. The girl 
had recovered somewhat from her shock, though she was still rather pale. She met 
his glance, cocking her head to one side in silent question. “Oi, Botan - tell 
Keiko and Yukina where we are; why we haven’t come home yet, okay?” he asked.
She nodded once, and he grinned, feral and full of an eager, restless sort of 
anticipation.
“Yosh ... iku zo, minna!”