Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ The Shaman Files ❯ To Catch a Shaman ( Chapter 1 )

[ A - All Readers ]

Chapter 1 - To Catch a Shaman
=============================
Yuusuke yawned lazily, walking to school, smoking a cigarette. He looked up at the morning sky. "Man, why does school have to start so early in the godamn morning? I can be spending this time sleeping." He yawned again and scratched his ass. Then was struck in the back of the head by Keiko's book bag.
"Jeez! Look at you! You're a mess! And scratching yourself in public. What, did you stay up all night? Or did I just get lucky and manage to sneak up on you?"
Yuusuke stared at his brown haired girlfriend in anoyance. "Hey shutup! I was busy doing something really important last night so I never got to get any sleep."
Keiko raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what pray tell was this important thing?"
"Kuwabara and I went out to play some pachinko."
"...right." Keiko snatched the cigarette from his mouth and took a puff. "Jeez, ever since you got back from the tournament and fighting Toguro you've been having a hard time getting back to normal life."
"How do you figure?"
"Well, you've been staying up all night, not doing any homework, failing all your tests, picking fights with yakuza...." She looked at Yuusuke who was just blinking. "...ok, never mind. You're exactly the same as always."
Yuusuke grinned. "And that's the way it's gonna stay!"
Something came zooming down from the sky then, fast. Yuusuke snatched Keiko asside before it crashed into them. then blinked. Botan was floating there on her ore. "Yuusuke! Keiko! Quick! We got to find Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama! This is an emergency!"
Yuusuke blinked. "...who shot who in the what now?"

In about two hours, Yuusuke, Kwabara, Kurama, Botan and Keiko stood in Kurama's bedroom at his house. His mother was working that day so they had the house to themselves. Hiei was nowhere to be found. Kurama offered to search for the fire demon but Botan insisted that they had no time to waste.
"Okay everybody, listen up! This is a major emergency!" Botan said.
"You already told us that." Yuusuke commented.
"Will you let her speak?" Keiko snapped.
"Yeah Urameshi! Let the woman speak!" Kuwabara added.
"I'm sure she would if you'd shutup, Kuwabara!" Yuusuke shouted at the orange haired punk.
"Hey! What do you mean ME shutup?!" Kuwabara hollered.
"Kuwabara, please. Botan has important news to tell us." Kurama said gently, pushing back a lock of red hair.
Kuwabara blinked, then looked at Botan who was staring at him. "But..."
"Are you done?" Botan asked impatiently.
"...it's not fair..." Kuwabara whined.
"ANYWAYS!" Botan yelled, vein popping. "This is a major emergency! A group of demons known as the harbringers has escaped their prison and has begun rampaging the earth! They've already killed many people! Koemma has given you special orders to stop them ASAP!"
Kurama blanched. "The Harbringers?"
"Friends of your's?" Yuusuke asked.
"..not exactly. Though, I knew one of their members, years ago."
"Well, I have a video here that will show us all their identities. So, pay close attention! There are the faces of your enemies." Botan walked over to Kurama's VCR and popped in the tape. The teenagers gathered around the television to watch. Keiko frowned, having no spirit energy, she would not be able to see the tape.
The tape played for a moment then the face of a demon appeared on the screen. He was ugly and had big horn in the middle of his forehead. An ogre. "Gok. An oni, or ogre, known to be especially brutal in battle. He can fire a beam of energy from his horn. He is the weakest member of the Harbringers. There only cause of his relation to Ulo."
The next face that appeared resembled that of a week old corpse. The eyes were sunken and the skin blueish grey. "Necro. Demon type, unknown, rumoured to be the last of his species. He has control over the dead. A very powerful oponent not to be taken lightly."
The next demon to appear was handsome. He had long black hair and fox like ears, including a black fox tail. "Kasato. Kitsune. Nine tails. Element of fire. He has the power to create ilusions using fox fire. Being a nine tails he is quite strong."
Kuwabara looked at Kurama. "Friend of yours?"
"Shh, we're watching the film, Kwabara." The punk grumbled and turned back to the television. Kurama's frown and sad eyes show that Kuwabara had guessed right.
The next demon to appear on the screen was also handsome, with long green hair and a blueish tint to his skin. "Zephyr. Water demon. Though a simple water demon he is quite old and quite powerfull. Kasato awknowledges him as a rival."
The next demon looked like a beautifull woman with long white hair and a large bosom. She was almost perfect except she was missing an eye. "Azuza. A siren. She uses sound as a weapon."
The final demon that appeared looked like a young man with white hair. His body was well toned and he had a handsome face. To horns rose from his forehead. "Ulo. Greater Oni. the most powerfull and leader of the group. He was once the son of a demon lord long ago who died in the attack against the demon lord Nagatobimaru who was in turn defeated and replaced by the demon lord Yomi. His goal is to create a demon realm for himself. On Earth. rumours say he knows a technique that places him on par with his father in strength. The details of the technique are unknown as the shaman who defeated him died fighting, and never had the opertunity to tell anyone."
"Ulo has human followers. Shamen. Powerfull humans who command the forces of nature and the spirit world. By fusing with these shamen their powers become even greater. Yuusuke Urameshi, this might be more then even you can handle." Spoke Koemma's voice over the VCR. "In fact, I doubt you can win at all. Your chances of survival are close to none. Regardless, this is your mission. Get cracking." The tape ended.
Kuwabara leaned against a wall and crossed his arms. "Man. This is gonna suck so much. How are we suppossed to beat those guys? Koemma just said we cant."
Kurama thought for a moment. "I've met shamen in the past. Some of their powers can be terrifying. I was almost destroyed by one of them, back in my days as a Youko."
Kuwabara gawked. "Wait wait. He said shamen were humans! How could you lose to a human back when you were the Youko Kurama?!"
Kurama smiled at Kuwabara. "Shamen are humans with power over spirits. The lost link between humanity and nature. It is thanks to them that the demon lords havent simply marched over the earth and claimed it as their own."
Botan scratched her head. "..so, maybe if we find a shaman he can help us?"
Kurama thought a moment. "It's worth a shot, but...shamen are not very common in this day and age. What do you think Yuusuke."
Yuusuke was picking his nose. "What?"
Kurama sweatdropped. "....were you even listening?"
Yuusuke nodded. "Yeah yeah yeah. Find bad guy, insert foot in ass, go home. I got it."
"What about the shaman?" Botan asked, anoyed.
"Do you know where there's a shaman?" Yuusuke asked her.
"...no." Botan responded.
"Then, insert foot in ass, win, go home! That's the plan."
"I know where there's a shaman." Said a cold voice, coming from the window. All eyes turned to look at Hiei, who was sitting on Kurama's window sill.
"Hiei! when did you get here?!" Botan shouted in suprise.
"Hn. I was on the roof, waiting for Fox. But you idiots were here with him. I thought I'd wait for you to leave but then you started playing the tape. I would have remained up there to listen but the moron was making so much noise I had no choice but to come in to hear what was said."
Kuwabara flailed. "Urameshi started it!"
"Shutup asshole!" Yuusuke yelled at Kuwabara. "Hiei's talking!"
Kuwabara moped. "..it's not fair.."
"The Fumbari Osen inn. There's a shaman in there." Hiei turned and jumped up on the window sill.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Yuusuke asked, but Hiei was gone in an eyeblink.
Kurama laughed. "I should have known he was a shaman."
Yuusuke looked at Kurama. "Come again?"
"I know the boy who lives there. Asakura Yoh. He attends Shinra High School. The highest standing private school in Tokyo. Mine is nothing compared to his. I met him when he and his friend Manta were entered in a debate tournament with mine and a few other schools. They were both quickly eliminated as Yoh decided to lay his head down on the table and sleep instead of debate. Manta was very upset as I recall."
"I like him already." Yuusuke said.
"Well, the Fumbaru Osen Inn burned down long ago. It was rebuilt but turned out to now be haunted. No one was willing to buy it except Yoh, at a price of 2000 yen a month. thats how bad the ghosts are. I thought he was strange, but, being a shaman, yes, that explains alot."
"Allright." Yuusuke said, standing up. "Lets go get this Sleepy and go insert the foot in ass!"
"Yuusuke?" Keiko said, placing a hand on his arm. "I dont know what your facing, but, this sounds bad...please be careful...I dont know why. But, I have a bad feeling..."
Yuusuke grinned. "Don't worry! everything's gonna be allright, babe. That Ulo retard cant be stronger then Toguro, right?!"
Keiko did not feel assured.

Manta dodged around some of the taller students at school, carrying his books under his arm. Truth be told, the entire student body was tall compared to him, measure barely under 2 feet tall. It was a trait on his father's side of the familly, the shortness. He sighed and walked to where he was suppossed to meet up with Yoh outside.
Manta bumped into someone's legs. He looked to walk around the person in his way but found that two other people were standing on either side of him. He pushed back his brown hair and looked up. "Excuse me? I need to get through."
He looked up and saw a boy with long red hair, wearing a school uniform from another school. Manta remembered him from when he and Yoh went to the debate tournament. Shuuichi Minamino. He hoped Shuuichi had forgotten the humiliating defeat of Yoh laying his head down to sleep. Manta did not recognise the other two. A boy with black hair slicked back, or an ugly larger boy with orange hair. They looked like trouble.
Manta sighed. Why must bullies always pick on the smart students. They were probably going around to each school grabbing some of the top students, getting ready to stuff them into garbage cans and send them rolling down the highway. Manta figured he should be flattered and being considered worth the beating. But still...
"Hello Shuuichi. Been a while."
Kurama smiled, to normal humans who didnt know of his kitsune spirit, he was known as Shuuichi. "Hello Manta. Yes it has. Is your friend Yoh around? Maybe taking a nap?"
Manta sighed again. He remembers allright. Cant he atleast get beaten up by bullies with SOME dignity?! "I was just on my way to meet with him. Who're these two?"
Kuwabara smiled at Manta, wich looked alot like a grimace to the short boy. "Kuwabara Kazuma. Punk."
"Oyamada Manta. Scholar."
"Urameshi Yuusuke. Super Punk."
Manta blinked blinked. "Urameshi? ........URAMESHI?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" Manta ran between Kurama's legs and out the door. "DONT WORRY SHUUCHI! I'LL GET HELP! HELP! YOOOH!" The boy ran off down the street.
Kurama turned to Yuusuke. "Have you ever considered an alias?"
Yuusuke was laughing. "But it's so much more fun this way!"

Manta charged to the small foot bridge where he was suppossed to meet his friend. Sure enough, Yoh was there, leaning against the railing, listening to his headset. Manta charged him and started pulling on his arm. "Yoh! Come quick! Emergency! Help!"
Yoh pushed his head set back off his ears and smiled at his best friend Manta, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Hi Manta. What's up?"
"Now is not the time for what's up! Danger! Danger! Asakura!"
"You really should learn to stay calm, Manta." Yoh said, smiling still as if his friend wasn't on the verge of soiling himself. "It cant be good for the body to get all worked up."
Manta leaped up and grabbed Yoh by the collar to look at him face to face. "Urameshi Yuusuke is at our school! Do you realise what this means?!"
Yoh blinked, suddenly looking serious. He picked up the object leaning against the railing next to him, a katana wrapped in a sheet. Harasume was the sword's name. He then checked to see if the funeral tablet of Amidamaru was in its holster under his shirt. "Yes I do. Come on." Yoh started running back towards the school.
Manta was hyper ventilating. Yoh running! things were even worse then he imagined! He ran after Yoh.
At that moment, Yuusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama were coming down the street towards them. They stopped. Looking at Yoh. Yuusuke eyed the other teenager. He looked like a pretty normal kid, except he was wearing a bear claw necklace and a pair of bathroom sandals. But, the energy eminating from him was incredible. Yuusuke couldnt measure it though, it was unfocused, wild. Could this be Yoh?
Manta hopped up and down behind Yoh pointing at Yuusuke. "That's him! Yoh! That's Urameshi Yuusuke!"
Yuusuke rolled his eyes. As much as he loved a good fight, this isn't what he'd come here for. He opened his mouth to speak but Yoh was suddenly standing in front of him, shaking his hand.
"Wow, I always wanted to meet the guy who wandered as a ghost and came back! That only happens once every 100 years or so. But what you did, pushing the little kid out of the way of that car, sacrificing your own life. That's amazing. The spirits told me all about it."
Kuwabara stared, Kurama did a double take, Manta's jaw dropped. Yuusuke just blinked, repeating what Yoh just told him over and over again in his head. ".........THAT'S what you know about me?!"
Yoh blinked. "Yeah? Why?"
Yuusuke stared at Yoh, was he being made fun of? No, Yoh looked sincere. "...uum, it was..nothing. Thanks." Yuusuke smiled. He was starting to like Yoh already.
Kurama was dumbfounded. ".....in all my years, I've never seen THAT happen before. Everyone else just known you as Yuusuke the yakuza killer. I guess Yoh's unfamiliar with your darker side."
Yoh shrugged. "Everyone's heard of that side. I just found the other aspect alot more interesting. Hey, Amidamaru, come on out. there's someone here you should meet! Yuusuke Urameshi."
A spirit rose from the funeral tablet and turned into the ghost of a fully armoured samurai. "Yuusuke Urameshi? It's an honour to meet one such as yourself, de gozaru!" Amidamaru bowed to Yuusuke all noble like.
Kuwabara stared, rubbed his eyes and stared again. "....th-thats a ghost?! What the hell are you carrying a ghost around for?! Hey! Manta can see him too?! You both have reiki!"
Yoh laughed. "Amidamaru here is my friend. And partner. I'm a shaman."
Kurama looked at the samurai. "...the ghost of Amidamaru the devil. The man who stood on a hill and single handedly decapitated an oncoming army for two days straight till he finally died of exaustion. they say a head rolled for each swing of your blade, the Harasume."
Amidamaru blinked, then lowered his eyes, looking ashamed. "...there's more to the tale then you know, de gozaru.."
Yuusuke cleared his throat. "Hey, while I love a good history lesson about dead ninjas and stuff, we came here for a reason. Yoh, you're a shaman! We need your help."
Yoh blinked. "With what?"
"Saving the world."
Yoh shrugged. "Sure, I got some free time."
Manta was rolling around on the ground. "This can NOT be happening!"

Two teenage boys were hanging out in the back yard of the Fumbari Osen inn, rescently converted into Asakura Yoh and Itako Anna's home. The one was wearing a tank top, shorts and bandanna, he had spikey blue hair. He was known as Horohoro, a young shaman of the Ainou tribe in the mountains of Hokkaido. The other was a foreigner, a black teenager who grew up on the streets of Harlem in New York. To his friends he was known as Chocolove. He was a shaman as well.
Hiei stood on the roof, watching the two speak. They hadn't noticed him. The foreigner had the spirit of a leapord following him around. Hiei figured this was another shaman, but he was not the one he came for. The other boy, Hiei'd seen him quite often go into the woods and amuse himself by summoning ice storms and riding around on that plank he always carried on his back. An ice spirit always followed this young shaman around. It was small, weak and pathetic. A koropikle, a dying species. The sooner they were gone the sooner he could forget about them, Hiei thought to himself. But he'd seen this boy do incredible effects with such a weak spirit.
This was rare, but the shaman had semi piqued Hiei's curiosity. He just never had a reason to speak to him, till now. If Fox needed a shaman, Hiei would supply him with one.
His eyes turned to the other boy.
...possibly supply him with two.
"I'm telling you man! We got to work on some combinations! That'll make us supreme! There's no way in HELL anyone will be able to stand up to us then! With my ice powers and your speed! We'll be unbeatable! UNBEATABLE!" Horohoro waved his arms around for emphasis.
Chocolove sweatdropped. "Well, I'm not gonna argue your point, but...what type of combinations can we pull off. You gain control over ice..and I gain the characteristics and traits of a...err...who's that?" Chocolove pointed behind Horohoro.
Horohoro turned. Someone was standing there, dressed all in black except for a white scarf and headband. He has spikey black hair with a white star burst in the front. His eyes were not eyes that belong to any human. Neither was the energy emnating from him. "....demon." Horohoro said. Kororo, his Koropikle, hid behind him, intimidated by the powerfull fire demon, holding her fuki leaf close.
Mick, the leapord spirit, growled at Hiei, but even he wouldnt move too far from Chocolove, this demon was powerfull. "Who are you? What do you want?" Chocolove asked Hiei, trying to remain calm.
Hiei watched them both. "I want you to come with me. Someone wants to speak to you."
"Who?" Chocolove asked. This demon was strong, and he didnt want to fight him if he didnt have to.
"I know who..." Horohoro said. "Some evil demon lord sent you to kill us cause he fears Yoh, right?!"
Chocolove dot eyed and stared at Horohoro. Hiei blinked, not having expected that responce. "No."
"DONT YOU LIE TO ME! I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE LIE TO ME!" He bellowed.
Chocolove sweatdropped. "Uum, Horohoro?"
Hiei stared at Horohoro. Could this boy possibly be retarded? "..I wasnt sent here by a demon lord. I want to you to come speak to a..friend.."
Horohoro wasn't falling for this bull. "OH YEAH?! YOU THINK I DONT KNOW THAT YOU WERE IN THERE KILLING POOR TAMAO AND THAT BITCH ANNA AND DRINKING THEIR BLOOD TO EMPOWER YOU BLOOD MAGIC?!"
Hiei swetadropped. "..............." He turned to Chocolove. "I need YOU to come with me."
Chocolove was shaking his head in frustration. "....uh, sure...mind telling me what's going on?"
"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM CHOCOLOVE! HIS VOICE IS HYPNOTIC!" Horohoro then charged Hiei, slipping into his Over Soul, fusing with Kororo. He rode his snow board straight at the fire demon at blinding speed, a large icicle protruding from the front, to impale Hiei.
For a split second, it looked like the icicle had gone through Hiei's chest, but then the after image of Hiei faded. Horohoro blinked, then surrounded himself with a block of ice. Just in time too, Hiei fell from the sky slashing downwards with his sword, the blade sinking deep into the ice. He pulled it out. "Idiot."
Hiei's sword surrounded itself with flames and melted through the ice. He swung out at Horohoro but only managed to slice off a few hairs as Chocolove tackled his friend out of the way, Chocolove was glowing with energy, had claws and fangs, he'd fused with Mick. "Hey...he might be an ass but nobody tries to kill one of my friends!"
"THATS RIGHT CHOCOLOVE! WE'LL SHOW HIM WHAT HE GETS FOR TRYING TO KILL YOH!" Horohoro shouted. He shifted his snow board onto his arm, creating a large statue of ice that resembled Kororo.
Hiei grunted. He appeared in front of Horohoro and slashed at him with the burning blade, planning to melt the ice. Horohoro raised the ice block to stop the blow and Hiei's blade sank into it and stuck. Hiei watched suprised, the boy's very aura was turning to ice, it would reform as fast as it would melt. Such an observation would cost most fighters time, but Hiei's specialty was speed.
He blured and appeared eight feet away from them, only to have to raises his sword to fend off a fury of claw slashes from Chocolove, he was fast. He blured a second time to avoid a shower of icicles. Individually he would have no trouble defeating either of them. But they were working together. Hiei swung his sword at a speed to fast to see to block another series of claw slashes and a smash through four icicles that rose from the ground right under him trying to impale him.
At this rate Hiei was going to lose. He figured Fox would be cross with him later but also figured he'd get over what he was about to do. He would kill the idiot with the ice power.
Chocolobe pounced again, trying to catch Hiei but only ended up leaping through another after image. he sniffed the air to locate him, then yelped. "HOROHORO! LOOK OUT!"
Hiei was zooming at Horohoro fast, his sword burning with black flames now. The black flames would burn through anything. Horohoro raised his snowboard as a sheils, making another ice statue. the statue was starting to evaporate. He channeled hard to recretaed but it was melting faster then it could form. He was gonna die. He refused to let it end this way. He focused all his furyuku into his over soul. Ice and snow started launching at Hiei, exploding in a blast of steam. The black flame was melting through it but the sheer force and amount of ice was slowing him down.
"I'M NOT GONNA LOSE!" Horohoro fell down on his face. Having been knocked out of his over soul by someone. He raised his head. He wasn't dead. Kororo looked at him in concern. He looked over to see Hiei standing, sword crossed with Tao Ren's glaive. Tao Ren ofcourse was holding the glaive, also in over soul mode. The spirit of the chinese warrior Bason surrounding the glaive, his huge hands claped around Hiei, trying to hold him in place, it was a battle of wills.
"What do you want?" Tao Ren asked, eyes narrowed.
"I'm seeking a shaman." Hiei answered.
"Allright. I'll help you." Tao Ren told him.
Both took a step back. Tao Ren coming out of his over soul, Bason standing behind him, looking menacing. Hiei extinguishing his flames and sheething his blade. He looked over at Chocolove who had also slipped out of Over Soul. Chocolove watched him, neutral expression.
Then Hiei turned his gaze on Horohoro. "..."
Horohoro blinked.
"Ignore him." Said Tao Ren. "He's an idiot."
"Indeed." Answered Hiei.
Horohoro's head slumped to the ground. "Great...now there's two of them..."
"Hn." Hiei and Tao Ren grunted in unision.

Yoh lead his new friends and Manta to his house. "We can talk inside. Maybe if we're lucky Tamao made some tea and baked cookies. She makes really good cookies. Doesn't she, Manta?"
Manta sighed. "I guess." He looked at the three guys following them. Yuusuke Urameshi, renown punk who went around beating up whole gangs, turned out to be a 'spirit detective'. He goes on missions from the great beyond, sent by the Great King Emma himself. Then there was Kazuma Kuwabara, another punk and friend to Yuusuke, helping him on his job. Manta almost envied Kuwabara. He wished he could help his friend Yoh somehow.
Shuuichi, or as he told them to call him, Kurama, was another person helping them out. And here Manta thought he was just another scholar. Instead, Yoh identified him as a reborn demon. Manta shuddered. He never thought demons could turn to humans. Who else could possibly be a demon?
Kurama smiled at Manta. Noticing his gaze. "Something the matter?"
Manta jumped. "N-nothing! Just thinking about stuff."
Kurama matched his pace with the short boy. "You have reiki. But its completely undeveloped. This world of spirits and demons is new to you, isnt it?"
Manta nodded. "Yeah....all started when I met Yoh one night...then suddenly I saw ghosts everywhere..."
Kurama nodded. "His presence probably awakened your own reiki. He's very powerfull....as far as humans go."
"That's what everyone tells me. Sometimes I wish he'd stop fighting all the time and just go to class."
Kurama looked down at Manta a bit suprised. "Really? Hrm. You're an interesting person, Manta..."
"That's what Amidamaru says too..." Manta mumbled under his breath. "I dont get it."
Kurama's fox ears caught that though, he was amused.

Tao Ren sat at the table, staring across at Hiei, who sat as well. An untouched cup of tea in front of him. Anna sat at the head of the table, sipping her tea. Every now and again glancing up at them with an uncaring gaze that Hiei found himself envious of.
Chocolove was leaning against the wall. Munching on a cookie.
Tamao stood off to the side, wearing her apron. Trying to move about as quietly as she could. Jumping every time Hiei so much as twitched.
Horohoro sat at the foot of the table, wrapping his fingers on the table. Twitching anoyedly. Shifting position. Looking up at the clock. Leaning on his elbows. "Why doesn't anyone say anything?"
Hiei remained silent.
Anna looked up at Horohoro, then took a magasine from the table to read.
Tao Ren said nothing.
Chocolove looked at Tamao and motioned towards the kicthen. the girl nodded and the two left the room.
"WELL!? Are you two gonna sit there and stare at each either all day?!" Horohoro whined.
The only sound was that of Anna turning a page. Tao Ren's eye brow twitched slightly.
"Okay, fine! You want quiet?! We'll stay quiet! You like that?!"
Tao Ren had a few beads of perspiration on his forehead. Anna sipped her tea.
"Not a sound! Not a peep! We'll sit here all quiet like four lumps of..."
Tao Ren jumped to his feet and started hollering. "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! WHATS THE MATTER WITH YOU, YOU MORON?! CANT YOU SHUTUP FOR FIVE MINUTES?!"
Horohoro fell on his back.
Hiei lifted the tea cup to his lips and sipped. "I win."
Horohoro stared.
Tao Ren grimaced. "Try living with him for a few months."
"I can imagine." Hiei responded. "I almost started yelling near the end."
Horohoro was dumbfounded. "...wha?"
"They're making fun of you." Anna explained.
There was the sound of a latch and the front door opened. Yoh came in along with Manta. Three other boys followed that Horohoro did not recognise.
Yuusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara were obviously suprised to see Hiei, mind you he looked suprised to see them too.
"Fox?" Hiei said.
"...uum, what the hell are you doing here?" Yuusuke asked.
Yoh scratched his head. "You guys know each either? Hrm, ah well, we're lucky. Cookies."
Tao Ren looked at Anna. "Is this why you told us to stay?"
Anna nodded. Standing up, looking at them all as if they were dust clouds floating through the room. "Yes, Tamao is a seer. She had predicted this about a week ago. I told her not to tell any of you."
"Why do that?" Kurama asked the girl.
"Because some things have to happen on their own. And besides, Yoh's been getting lazy in his training. Had I told him in advance what was going to happen, he'd have stepped up his currivulum then returned to slacking off. I figured a good beating might be what he needed."
Yuusuke scratched his head. "...Yoh, who is this?"
Yoh smiled. "This is my fiance, Anna."

Introductions were made.
They sat around the table. Yoh next to Anna. Then Kurama and Hiei. Tao Ren and Horohoro were together. Chocolove and Kuwabara sat by one another. Yuusuke was sitting next to Botan who had joined them by now, after a quick call from Kurama. Tamao sat off to the side on a couch. Manta sitting next to her.
Kurama eyed the pair and noticed to side long glances they'd give each either every now and again. At one point he caught Manta's eye and smiled vulpishly. The boy's blush confirmed his suspicions where THIS matter was concerned. But not everything could be handled as easilly as this. He turned back to the others who were just finishing watching the video that Botan brought over, showing the Harbringers.
"It's just not right." Horohoro commented. "That guy, Ulo, looks so handsome! He shouldn't be such an evil shit."
Tao Ren put his glaive at Horohoro's throat. "One more word and I will sever your head from your body."
Hiei looked down and found his hand was on the hilt of his sword, the blade half drawn. Kurama smiled at him. "Made two new friends?"
"Dont start with me, Fox."
Yoh watched the blank screen of the television. "So, we have to go stop them, right?"
Yuusuke nodded. "Yeah, I came up with a plan of inserting my foot in their ass but the others said we should find a shaman. So whats the plan Mr Wizard?"
Yoh shrugged. "They say a simple plan is always best. Let's use that one."
Kuwabara choked on his tea. "You're kidding me, right?!"
Yoh shook his head. "No? Why?"
Kurama scratched his cheek. "You have to admit, the plan is kind of....lacking...."
Chocolove sweatdropped. "It's true, guys, I think we should come up with a better plan."
Yoh shrugged. "Well, let's look at it logically, we dont know where they are, we dont really know what they can do, we dont know what their planning, we dont know who's helping them. The only card in our favour is that chances are, they don't know that we're about to go after them. I say find them, proceed with some caution, then beat them. All the strategies in the world wont help if with what little knowledge we have."
Kurama stared at Yoh. He had thought Yoh was like Yuusuke at first, strong spirited but none too bright, it seemed there was more going on in Yoh's head then he originally thought. But still, something about this just didnt sit well with the youko.
"Yoh and Yuusuke speak the truth." Boomed a voice. It echoed from somewhere in the inn, it was hard to pinpoint where though. "In the past we've often placed our lives in Yoh's hands, trusted his judgement, for better or for worse. Not once has he let us down. Never. You are also warriors, with a strong spirit. I can hear it in your very voices when you address Yuusuke, that you too hold him in such a position of respect. Do you not trust him now? Do you not trust his confidence in his ability to win? If you doubt your leader's capabilities, you doubt yourselves."
The group looked around. The words rand trew in all the fighter's hearts and they knew it. They looked at one another, and agreed to follow Yuusuke and Yoh's lead.
"Excellent." Boomed the voice again. "Then I too shall offer my aid." There was the sound of a toilet flushing, then the bathroom door opened. There stood a man, a tall man, with a long banana like hair style, protruding in front of his head by almost two feet. He wore a suit that resembled something Elvis would wear, with a collar as high as Spawn's. He bore a small pinch under his chin, and his eyes showed years of experience, despite the fact that he couldnt be much older then any of them. His face was ugly to rival even Kuwabara's. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, placing one between his lips, he lit it with a lighter and took a long haul. He then shouldered a wooden bokken. "Bokuto no Ryu will aid you in your quest."
Kuwabara and Yuusuke fell out of their seats. "B-Bokuto no Ryu."
Ryu looked at them and his eye sparkled. "Urameshi Yuusuke, Kuwabara Kazuma. I have heard of you both. You carry a bad name, but are good people at heart. May you find your Best Place. May you find happiness."
Yuusuke and Kuwabara seemed to be in near shock.
"Another powerfull punk?" Asked Kurama.
"No." Said Yuusuke. "He's tough, but not that tough...this guy's just....I dont know. Like...Superman or something.."
Yoh smiled. "Don't worry, I promise you that before this adventure is over, you'll come to repect Ryu."
Anna snorted. "If we're lucky his face will get torn off and I wont have to look at him ever again. And you better not have been smoking in the bathroom again. Idiot."
Bokuto no Ryu fell over twitching. "Gagh! Bokuto no Ryu is powerless against the tirades of the master's future wife."
Yuusuke scratched his head. "He always this weird?"
Yoh smiled. "Never a dull moment."

The inn was large and had enough room for all. But not everyone was able to sleep that night. Some lay in bed thinking. Others sought out the company of their friends. But few slept.