Chapter 1

"I still don't see why you insist on dragging me out of bed every morning," Yusuke complained. He stretched his arms high over his head and yawned deeply. "I mean, it's not like I stay there all day anyway."

"But if I didn't come to get you, you wouldn't show up at all!" Keiko snapped, giving him a little shove in the back to get him walking again."

"School starts too early. What if I promise to come after lunch?" he asked hopefully.

"Then I'd probably never see you," she said, almost too quiet for him to hear.

They were almost like boyfriend/girlfriend, and yet kept a respectable distance from the other. A straight A student and a tough thug...a strange couple if ever there was one.

"Yusuke." "Keiko." They both stopped and laughed at the way they'd spoken at the same time.

"Go ahead," Keiko said.

"I was just going to say," Yusuke began, scratching the back of his head nervously, "I can't promise I won't get called away from school, but I will promise not to skip out on purpose."

Keiko smiled warmly, knowing he would keep that promise just for her. "Thank you, Yusuke."

"Now, what were you going to say?"

"Just..." she turned back the way they'd been headed, "...isn't that your friend, Kurama?"

Yusuke looked in the direction Keiko indicated and was shocked to see the red-haired demon leaning casually against the brick wall around their school. His head had been down, but just then he looked up as if sensing their presence. His sharp, green eyes picked Yusuke out of the milling crowd of kids on the way into school and he gave a small grin.

"Kurama!" Yusuke called out enthusiastically. Keiko wondered if he hoped there was a job awaiting the Spirit Detective so he'd have a legitimate excuse to leave classes.

"Hello, Yusuke," Kurama said as he walked towards them, hands in his pockets. "Hello, Keiko."

"Hi, Kurama. What are you doing here?" Keiko asked.

Yusuke pounded one fist into the other palm in anticipation of some action. He'd been getting bored and restless waiting for Koenma to contact him. Fights in the Human World were starting to feel like beating up on small children.

"Things in Spirit World have been pretty slow, and there's nothing for me to do." Kurama said. "Koenma told me I might as well return to the Human World and go back to school. If this quiet time lasts, I'll need to be able to support myself here...at least until I'm able to return to my true demon form permanently."

"I've been telling Yusuke the same thing," Keiko said, rounding on Yusuke with her hands on her hips. "See? Even Kurama is sensible enough to understand you can't earn a living as a Spirit Detective."

"All right! All right!" Yusuke said and threw up his hands in defeat. "But why here? Why not go to the school closer to your own house?"

"My mother got remarried. As much as I like her new husband, they deserve time alone. So I've got my own apartment. Besides," he gave a pointed look and grin in Yusuke's direction, "I thought school would be more...interesting...here."

Yusuke laughed heartily. "With you here it sure will be! Keiko, you may get your wish. With Kurama at school, I'll definitely show up! I've never had class with a demon before."

"But I don't think he wants that advertised," Keiko said, looking around to see if anyone had overheard him.

"Even though no one would believe that particular piece of information, I believe it would be wise to keep it from being public knowledge," Kurama agreed.

"Oh, no!" Keiko cried. "We're going to be late!"

The three joined the other groups of students rushing for the door, hoping to make it to class before the tardy bell sounded. "I'll see you two later," Kurama said. "I have to go to the office first."

"I'll show you where it is," Yusuke offered.

"You get to class," Keiko ordered. "As class president, I have every right to be late if I'm escorting a new student around."

"So now you're an escort service?" Yusuke grumped as Kurama and Keiko walked down the hall together toward the office. He didn't know why it bothered him, but there was a cold lump in the pit of his stomach. With a frustrated growl, he headed the other direction toward his homeroom.