Chapter One

My Brother's Keeper

Yusuke Urameshi was sitting on the roof of Sarayashiki High School doing what he always did when he was supposed to be in school, absolutely nothing. Keiko had already come up and given him a tongue lashing for being a no-good-piece-of-crap "I don't know why she got so upset." He thought to himself. "I was just being friendly…"

As he was pondering the many aspects of this conundrum a woman who looked to be in her teens appeared in front of Yusuke. She wore the standard school uniform and carried an extremely oversized suitcase. Her most showy qualities were her sky blue hair and perky British accent that was rarer then hen's teeth in Japan. She was Botan, grim reaper and assistant extraordinaire to the Spirit Detective, Yusuke.

"Yusuke I have a message from Lord Koenma." She said and placed the brief case down before him in a most business like manner.

Yusuke groaned and didn't move from his laid back position. "What does pampers want now?"

Botan's face darkened. "Don't call his highness that! He's ruler of the spirit world!"

"Like I could forget." Yusuke ran a hand through his hair to be sure it was slicked back. As if he didn't trust the three gallons of hair gel he put in it each morning.

Botan sighed angrily and flipped open the briefcase. "Just listen,"

A small toddler on a throne appeared on a screen inside the briefcase. He looked extremely stressed out. Large stacks of paper surrounded him and blue ogres in loincloths ran in every direction. "Whoa, Koenma, you look like you need a vacation." Yusuke observed. He sat up and turned his attention to the screen.

"There is no vacation for me Yusuke. I have a new case for you."

"Yeah, well I figured you weren't inviting me over to celebrate your transition to the sippy-cup."

Koenma shook his tiny fists in the air wildly. "Enough of that Yusuke, this is serious!"

"Ok, ok I get it, spill it already."

"I would if you would just give me a second." Koenma took a breath and the screen flashed. A grotesque scene appeared. A body; bloody, beaten, and surrounded by a blue force field replaced Koenma on the screen. "This body was found in the trails of Jokatsu Mountain two hours ago. Normally a murder would go to the Tokyo police force but this one is different."

"Did a demon do the guy in?"

"We don't know. We are more concerned with the boy himself. See the blood on him?" Yusuke looked at the boy. He looked to be a few years younger then himself. His blond hair was wavy and reached his shoulders. His eyes were still open in the cold paralysis of death and because of this Yusuke could see they were blue. He frowned; it was hard not to see all the blood on him. Poor kid must've died horribly. He nodded. "Well that isn't his blood," Koenma said, The police began collection and discovered his blood was actually gold."

"Gold? You mean gold, gold?" Yusuke asked in amazement. Botan leaned in, she had not been informed of this.

"Yes, pure gold." The body flashed and Koenma appeared on screen again. "No DNA could be extracted from it and when it dried it was solid gold. Yusuke you need to get to that site as quickly as possible. I have a shield around the body but it won't stay up for much longer. I would feel a lot better if you took the others with you. Botan, I know Kuwabara will come and Kurama if I ask but tell Hiei it's an order."

"Yes, your highness." Botan twirled her index and pinky fingers and summoned an oar between them. She flew off quickly to fulfill her new orders.

"Wait the guys already dead right? Why do I need a squadron for one dead guy? And why is Spirit World interested if you guys don't even know who killed him yet?"

"Because for some reason demons are drawn to this golden blood." The screen flashed back to the body. Yusuke could see dozens of lower class apparitions disintegrating against the ever-weakening shield.

"Why?"

"Did you not hear me say some reason? That's what I want you to find out! Get that body somewhere safe. Find out what this being is. We don't know if he's some new breed of demon or some mutated human but whatever he is he was powerful. He didn't die easily."

"So whoever killed him has to be very strong…"

"Right. Watch yourself on this one Yusuke. Here's the exact location of the body via satellite. Kurama should be able to figure it out." he added in when he saw Yusuke's reaction to the combination of numbers and letters. "Use a GPS system."

"GP whata?"

"Ask Kurama!" With that the toddler disappeared and Botan flew in on her oar to recollect her precious briefcase.

"How the heck did you manage that so fast?" Yusuke asked in wonder. Kurama's school was across town and no one knew where Hiei was unless he wanted you too, which in itself was a rare occurrence.

Botan smiled with cat-like innocence. "I'm not the Grim Reaper for nothing ya know!" she purred. "They will all be waiting for us at the entrance of the school, no time to waste!"

"I'll never get you."

Yusuke ran with Botan down the flight of stairs and down the hallway, ignoring the frantic shouts of the teachers as they ran. Out front three silhouettes waited against an iron fence for the detective.

"Ready Urameshi?" a tall teenage boy with a voice like gravel and hair resembling the color of a traffic cone asked.

"Heck yeah Kuwabara! Oh Kurama, Koenma told me to give you this. It's the location of the body. GPTEST or something like that." Yusuke handed the readout to a handsome boy with red hair and striking green eyes of jade.

"It's GPS, Yusuke. Global Positioning Satellite." his voice was soft and smooth. He quickly scanned the paper. "Ah, yes I know where this is. Jokatsu Mountain, 5th Trail. It will take the average human three hours to hike it from the base."

"You've memorized the GPS system?" Botan asked in amazement.

"Yes," Kurama said simply.

The others stared at him in amazement. "Hn. Show off." A short boy with hair that defied every scientific law and principle by standing straight up murmured. His piercing red eyes and cold demeanor let you know what he was all about instantly. Only those closest to him knew what he lay beneath.

"How long if we run?" Yusuke asked, still impressed by Kurama's library of knowledge.

"Judging by our stamina I would say forty-five minutes, maybe an hour."

"Great…"

"Is there a bus we could take to the top?" Kuwabara asked hopefully.

"Idiot," Hiei muttered.

"What's that shorty!"

"Does a death wish compel you to speak to me thus?"

"What did you just say?"

"The fox was right, animals can't understand complex grammar."

Kuwabara became flustered and lunged at Hiei. Hiei, using his lightning reflexes, easily dodged and tripped the oversized human.

"Umm guys… guys…" Botan said. Kuwabara reached for Hiei's headband and Hiei hit him with the flat of his sword. "GUYS!" The two stopped fighting. "They left." It was true. Kurama and Yusuke were up ahead catching a bus to Jokatsu Mountain. In a flash Hiei was gone and beside them but Kuwabara was struggling to catch up.

He ran after the bus with arms flailing wildly. "Wait for me Urameshi!"

Katani crumpled in a heap to the forest floor. Tithe was dead. Her only living relative. Dead. Tears streamed down her cheeks. As the pristine droplets hit the ground black hibiscus flowers sprouted and rose to dry her tears. She turned away, she hated these flowers. She hated them because they reminded her of her brother and now he was dead. Never again would they search to unravel the mystery of their identity. Only through her tears could she summon flowers and it was a useless ability.

She had felt his soul slip away the second he died. She had been riding Feer when it happened. Feer's golden coat had shone like the sun. Katani had spent all morning grooming her beautiful stallion and had been riding to meet her brother for a ride together. She had ridden him bareback through the mountain and the early morning light made the moment seem magical. Feer kicked out in play and neighed his happiness. Neither had a clue that something somewhere was terribly wrong.

Katani's sword pendant caught the light and reflected it. Her pendant was her weapon. When she brought it in contact with her golden blood, the blood that ran through her veins and ran in the veins of her brother as well, it turned into a full size blade that was as dangerous as it was beautiful. The thin golden chain held it securely around her neck was also enchanted. It would not break easily, but when she needed the sword she could tug gently on the chain and it would snap then come back together seamlessly once again when the danger was past. The sword was the only link to Katani's lineage that she had, it had been with her since birth and it would be with her till death. Her brother had a ring that fit on his index finger and turned into a deadly razor sharp chakaram when it came in contact with his blood. It also provided the wearer with invisibility if their power was great enough. When tossed by him it returned like a faithful dog and had a knack for knowing what it needed to kill. Their enchanted weapons had many secrets but for Tithe no more could be learned.

Katani had dismounted Feer to drink from a crystal stream that few hikers knew about when she felt her brother start to slip. "Feer!" she yelled and quickly mounted him. He tapped into her feelings and sensed her anxiety, She could sense that her brother was in trouble and she let her instincts guide her. Feer was fast but not fast enough. She arrived in time to see the assassin pull his sword from her brother throat.

"No! Tithe!" Katani threw her sword with all her strength at the assassin but in her anger missed and the sword hit naught but a tree.

Her brother had been murdered. Feer sped after the assassin and Katani pulled her sword from the tree as they raced by. Whoever the assassin was, he was fast. He had an edge over Feer in the forest due to the roots and rocks. Feer took to running in long leaps and in this way began gaining on the assassin. They came to an open field and the assassin panicked. He turned on Katani and attacked her mercilessly. Blow after blow he rained on her with insane speed. The blows were so powerful that they made her arms ring.

She steeled her resolve and tapped her hidden reserve. The thought of Tithe gave her strength and new power flowed through her veins. Her arms stopped shaking and the assassin's blows became slower. Feer maneuvered around the assassin and spun in dizzying circles.

"Charge him," she thought. Feer backed away, spun, and dove at the assassin. Katani plunged her sword deep in his shoulder past his defense. She heard him cough and knew she pierced a lung. She withdrew her sword and kicked the filth to the ground. However, he would not go down so easily and rose to meet her. Katani jumped off of Feer. She wanted to kill him face to face. To see in his eyes the fear he had caused her brother. The demon coughed again and spit golden blood on the ground. A gasp escaped Katani, she was not the only one. In her confusion the assassin lashed out and nicked her arm. They circled each other, waiting for the other to move. Katani crossed her feet one behind the other. The assassin did the same. They mirrored each other move for move. Swords rose and they charged.

"Who are you?" Katani demanded. The swords met in mid-air and the clash of steel let out a cry of sorrow that continued to ring even when the swords broke contact. Again and again they clashed in combinations and dances of the sword, each hitting the other. Katani marveled at his ability to fight with one pierced lung and knew if she was to win this fight she must end it soon. She was feeling for a weakness in his movements. He was losing oxygen and it showed in his steps. There! He was slow on his withdrawal. Katani faked a stab, he bought it and tried to counter with a swing aimed at her neck. She ducked and brought the sword around in a full swing but the assassin dodged at the last second. Sensing no chance of victory the assassin ran his fingers over the blade of his sword and vanished. Feer let out a trumpeting neigh of victory and anger. He rose on his hind legs and kicked sorrowfully at the sky, daring any one else to come at him or his master.

Katani ran, hoping she would find the assassin somewhere and demand to know why his blood ran gold as well. She ran until she felt she would pass out. The sword in her hands shrank and returned to her neck. Feer followed at a distance, his master was in shock. But he knew in his heart no amount of time would ever be enough. Katani ran for over an hour until she finally sank to her knees on the forest floor and the tears streamed down her face like the crystalline river she had drunk from only moments ago.

Her long blonde hair cascaded over her forehead and shoulders, hiding her from the world. Eyes the color of ice in its purest state cried out in mourning for her only golden kin.

Katani ripped the sword pendant from its chain around her neck. Even in its jeweled form it was sharp. With it she drew a shallow incision across her right palm, the palm that did not wield her sword. A tiny line of warm gold liquid issued forth and Katani dipped the pendant in it. Soundlessly and without dazzling effect the pendent became a sword. Unlike some other ignorant opponents she'd seen who would made a show of summoning their weapon. This was ultimately their downfall because Katani used this time to destroy them.

Katani wiped her tears away with her palm and stood, her hands gripping her knees for support. How her brother would yell if he could see her now. Crying was no way to act. She needed to find whoever hired the assassin that killed her brother.

To regain her calm she did a couple of intricate dances with her blade designed to require all her concentration and energy. By the end she was exhausted but calm and focused. She started walking slowly back to the site were her brother lay slain. She could not let him be discovered by anyone. This thought drove her now and she saw Feer up ahead. He walked beside her soundlessly. She placed a hand on his powerful golden neck and felt his strong muscles gliding over bone as he walked. This familiar touch gave her comfort and she alighted like a cat on his back.

One thought drove her as she rode to the site of her brother's death: revenge. She spurred Feer on. They reached the site within an hour. A barrier had been erected around Tithe's body. She glared in disgust at the site. Who could've done such a thing? She dismounted and swung her sword against the barrier. It bounced off uselessly. She cursed.

Feer let out a whinny of warning, a demon bit at her heels. Katani stabbed it through the gut and the demon dissolved in a cloud of fog. More demons tried to get at Tithe but Katani and Feer slew them all. When the demons were gone Feer approached the barrier. He had a knack for such things and struck at it three times with his hooves. The barrier was weak with time and a crack appeared where Feer had struck it.

Katani swung her sword down at the crack and blue light sprang upward in a geyser. Katani became alarmed at the thought of other humans or demons seeing this so she quickly picked up Tithe and mounted the golden stallion.

"To Pristine Cave!"

"What the hell is that?" Yusuke asked. He and the others stopped dead in their tracks halfway up Mt. Jokatsu when they say a geyser of blue light.

"That is where the body is." Kurama answered for everyone.

"What? How can a dead guy do that?" Kuwabara asked.

"The shield has been broken." Hiei said.

"But he's dead," Kuwabara said, very confused.

"You idiot! Someone's stealing our body!" Yusuke punched at him.

"We have no time to waste quarreling. Speed is our only ally now, hurry." Kurama said. The others nodded and ran with haste towards the now silent patch of desolate earth.

Katani slid Tithe gently into the water of the cave. Pristine Cave held pools of crystal clear water with amazing restorative properties. The waters also had a great respect for the dead. This Katani counted on now as she saw tiny water sprites rise from the water's depths and cleanse her brother's battered body. "You idiot…" She whispered as she watched them wash away a red and gold mixture of blood. Tears slid slowly down her cheek. "I always told you to guard your left…"

She felt Feer's velvet muzzle against her shoulder and his warm breath in her hair. She sighed slowly and hugged his warm neck. He told her something with his eyes. Others are coming, he told her, and they seek Tithe.

Who? She asked him using her thoughts, her touch, and her eyes.

He didn't know but they were dangerous and they meant to take him away. Katani bit her lip.

Yes, I understand. She knelt near the edge of the water. The water sprite's were nearly finished and had wrapped Tithe in a kimono of white cotton. Katani smiled. Despite the modern era they now lived in the sprites still held to ancient tradition. However she frowned when she saw the wrapping. It was crossed right to left, the dressing for the dead. Yes, he is dead. She thought. Will I ever get used to that?

She saw the ring on her brother's hand. Ever faithful, it had returned upon his death. She lifted his hand from the water and gently pulled the ring off. "I will always treasure this." she said softly. Next she was sure to check for any other items of her brother's. Nothing, save a necklace a water sprite handed her. It was a cross, a cross she sad given him for his sixth birthday. It never occurred to her that he had actually kept it. She held it close to her heart. "Tithe…"

The only thing left to do was remove evidence of her brother's golden blood should someone discover the body in the future. She placed a hand over his heart and said a prayer in a secret language known only to one.

If it's to protect someone precious to me,
it's OK if this body of mine is wounded
it's OK if this heart of mine burns.

Dark sky that stretches out limitlessly
The sound of distant, cracking thunder
Don't be fooled
by what you see.

My heart is uncertain if it should
track down the wounded future
or tread on the broken tomorrow.

Even when struck by the fierce rain
Even when blown by cold winds
Seeking the light
I think of that tree's strength
Dark sky that stretches out limitlessly
The sound of distant, cracking thunder.
Whenever I stand, my steps
sway.

My heart is uncertain if it should
track down the wounded future
or tread on the broken tomorrow.

Tithe's body was engulfed momentarily in a deep red light as she prayed. The custom complete she removed her hand from Tithe's chest. All was taken care of. The sprites gazed upon her with wonder. Katani looked at the miniature mermaids with gratitude.

"Thank you my friends. I am in your debt." She then leaned forward in low bow to the sprites. The sprites splashed with happiness and swam to Katani, giving her their condolences for her loss. Katani bid them goodbye and gently lifted her little brother from the pool.

Katani placed her brother's corpse on Feer's back and mounted behind. She dug her heels into Feer's sides and his hooves rang throughout Cave Pristine.