Authors: Sam & Merrianna

Story: Little Fighter: 3 of ?

Series: n/a

Feedback: Yes, please? Especially constructive. samwise_baggins@yahoo.co.uk

Webpage: http://www.oocities.org/samwise_baggins/index.html

"Hey!" Kazuma Kuwabara turned to his best friend with a frown. "How'd you know I dreamed Lord Koenma was fired?"

Yusuke Uremeshi sighed. "I dreamed the same thing just a minute ago."

Both sixteen-year-olds stared at each other in silence. They seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as well. If both of them had dreamt about the toddler-sized ruler, then could that dream truly have happened? Yusuke was, after all, living proof of something miraculous happening.

"Lord Koenma. That's the brown-haired boy with the pacifier, right?"

Jumping, the boys turned towards the door and Kazuma gasped. He shot into his open closet, moaning about lack of privacy. The darker haired teen merely nodded at his friend's older sister, Shizuru. "Yeah, the runt."

She took a drag on her cigarette and shrugged one shoulder, ignoring her brother's protests. Leaning against the doorjamb, the nineteen-year-old thoughtfully looked towards the ceiling. "You said he got fired? What'd he do?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly sure. I was fighting and next thing I know, I'm still standing and the demon's not. He's got my injuries, too. The only guy with that kind of power has to be Koenma." Yusuke shrugged. "Think he must've saved my life without going through the right channels."

Slowly blowing out smoke, the woman considered what she'd been told. Just as slowly, she moved into the room towards her brother's window, staring blindly out. She ponderd what kind of thing the prince may have done to Yusuke. After several long moments of complete quiet, she turned to the boys.

Kazuma had finished dressing in his closet and now slipped out, frowning at his sister. He crossed his arms, frowning at the older Kuwabara sibling. Her words made the frown deepen, but for other reasons than an invasion of privacy.

"What happens when a spirit ruler gets fired?"

The streets were well lit, the crowds boisterous. Alone, the sixteen-year-old walked, a single duffle bag slung over one shoulder. Arriving at the train station, he paid his fare and borded the next green-train to show. Sitting in a corner seat, away from the other passengers, he stared out the window at the fast moving scenery.

As time wended on, the train emptied of the usual weekend rush until there were few night travelers. The teen was alone in his car, still staring out the window, lost in thoughts only he knew of. His duffle bag sat at his feet, apparently forgotten as he rode the train back and forth between the ends of the line. He seemed uncaring that he hadn't reached his destination, or had passed it by repeatedly.

Finally, as the train was on its last run of the night, one of the connecting doors slid back. A blue-haired woman looked in and sighed, relief and sadnes flashing across her face. She walked in, her pink kimono whispering around her feet as she moved. When she stood in front of the teen, she drew a deep breath and put on a cheery smile. "Well, I finally found you Lo... uh... Koenma.

The teenager look up and sighed. Shifting a bit so the woman could sit, he nodded politely. "Hello, Botan."

"I finally caught up to you. Why didn't you wait for me to bring you down?" Botan, pilot of the River Styx, frowned, letting the fake cheer fall away. "I was on my way as soon as I heard."

Koenma looked at her, his brown eyes sad. "I decided to rely on myself." He looked back towars the window, his reflection sadder than the look he'd turned to his old friend.

Trying not to show the sudden tears she felt at Koenma's sadness, Botan swallowed. "You don't have anywhere to go, Lo... Koenma." She mentally berated herself for slipping up and nearly using his former title. Especially as he flinched every time he heard it. "What will you do? Do you have money?"

"Father provided enough funds for some days, if I use them wisely."

Botan winced. As if you know how to spend money wisely. You've always been a rich, pampered prince. Oh, dear. Determined not to give her thoughts away, the woman nodded. "Hotels are expensive, Koenma."

The brown-haired teen nodded, without reply. He remained looking out the window as the train rolled on. It was a long moment before he looked up at his still standing companion. As the former prince opened his mouth to speak, he suddenly closed it and glanced around attentively. "Something's wrong."

"What?" Immediately Botan was on alert as well. She'd rarely spent time on trains, especially this late at night, and had no idea what her friend was speaking of. She glanced around fearfully.

Standing, Koenma turned towards the front of the train, leaning over a seat. He had his hand braced on the seat back and was trying to glimpse outside. "The vibration's off. I've been on this train for hours. I can feel the changes. Something is wrong with the train."

Botan stiffened. Shaking her head, she made an oar appear out of thin air. After all, she was spirit at the moment, and had access to numerous abilities normally not seen. "I'll check it out, Sir." With that, she flew right through the doorway and out of sight of mere mortals.

It had been hours and Yusuke hadn't been able to puzzle out what the Administrator of the Spirit World could be up to. He'd had no contact, not advise or demands at all from the pint-sized ruler. Normally if he pulled this kind of stunt, there were all kinds of payments and such to be made... and Yusuke wound up doing the paying.

His mother was out partying, and Kazuma's parent's were on some sort of rampage. Thus, Yusuke'd been wandering the streets alone, waiting for the shoe to drop. Still nothing, and it was driving him nuts. Damn, even Botan seemed to be avoiding him, and she was his assistant.

With a growl of annoyance, the Spirit Detective kicked at thin air, stopping before an apartment building that catered to the higher middle-class. He growled again and turned to go walking back home, wondering if he'd feel better if he went bothering his girlfriend or something. The flash of a television in one of the windows caught his eye.

Moving closer to the window, unthinking of the fact that he resembled a peeping-tom, Yusuke tried to clearly see what had attracted his attention. He wasn't sure what it was he'd seen. A train wreck quite close, but that shouldn't have made him stop. There! "What the hell? That's Koenma!"

It was true. There on the screen were many rescuers and victims. It had been a brief flash, the camera panning over some of the victims still trapped in the twisted metal. But there was a victim who sure looked like Lord Koenma's teenaged form, unconscious, bleeding, and trapped in the ruins.

"No wonder the freak hasn't come for me. What the hell was he doing on a stupid train?" Glancing around quickly, the dark-haired teen became aware of just which apartment building he was standing in front of. Desperately, he ran over to the door and hurried inside, intent on getting one of the residents, even if it was out of a sound sleep.

A loud knocking immediately pulled Kurama out of a sound sleep. The sound would wake his mother, as well, and she needed her sleep for work. Quickly, the red-haired seventeen-year-old headed quietly to the apartment door and opened it, knowing by the Spirit Energy who stood on the other side. He slipped into the hall and whispered, "What is it, Yusuke?"

"Turn on the TV, Kurama. I wanna see if it's really him." He pushed past his friend and headed right for the living room.

The human boy, who housed a very old fox demon in his soul, followed with a frown. "Try not to wake up mother, Yusuke." He was relieved to see his friend turn the sound down as the news came on.

The relief fled as he saw the devestation of the train wreck on the screen. "What happened?" He stood behind the younger teen. With a shocked intaked of breath, Kurama's hand came to rest on Yusuke's shoulder. "Lord Koenma?"

Yusuke nodded, frowning. "Yeah, they keep panning the crash, and I thought I'd seen him. That's Koenma all right. Wonder why he was there." He looked up at the redhead.

With a shake of his head, Kurama headed for the door, ignoring the fact that he was only in pajama bottoms, and nothing else. "Let's go get him. He'll need help; his head looks injured."

The pair ran from the apartment, Kurama grabbing and dialing on a cellphone as they went.