Yusuke couldn't find it in his heart to say it to Keiko. He let her
go, and stood up. Then he ran, leaving a bewildered Keiko on the park bench.
It began to rain. Keiko couldn't feel the tears trickling down her
cheekbones. Her hair and clothes were soaked from the sudden downpour. She
didn't care. `I love you, Yusuke...' her voice a feather to her lips. Her
shoulders shook from a sob, and she cried in her palms. Yukimura Keiko felt
her heart grow empty. 

                             *     *     *

        Hiei felt that there was something terribly wrong. He couldn't
pinpoint the exact location of the force, however he knew Ningenkai was in
trouble. Deep trouble. The feeling sank to the pit of his stomach with an
imaginary `thud`.  Hiei tried to ignore it, but it cried out to him. "Help
me," it pleaded. A bolt of excruciating pain passed through him. Hiei held
his head in his hands, his mind whirling. All he could see were blurred
visions of Ningenkai, Makai, and Reikai. He screamed in pain. He was
falling... falling into a pit of blackness. He had passed out.

************************************************************************

Chapter 2
                              "Forces"
        
========================================================================
        
        Smoke filled the entire floor of the building. People outside
wondered if it was on fire. As the smoke began to clear, a couple of
coughing and wheezing girls emerged from the doorway, their aprons wet, and
sooted, either from the sprinkler system, or the smoke. Yukina was the last
one to come out, her head shylly lowered to hide her flushed face. She was
the only one with food stains on her apron, and smudges on her cheeks. She
looked apologetically at the others.

        "Yukina-chan," came the eldest. Yukina slowly looked up at the stern
face. "How many times have I told you that barada is baked for only 30
minutes, and not 1 hour?! And how many times have I told you that the eggs
should be cracked first before putting them in the mixing bowl?? You're
supposed to bake the egg yolks and not the egg shells! The poor oven..."

        "Gomennasai..."

        Some of the girls snickered, leaving Yukina feeling useless. Yukina
bowed her head in defeat, sadness washing over her. It was just a few days
ago when she decided to cook for the Kuwabara household. That family had
been so kind to her, giving her a place to stay, and clothing her in
wonderful Ningenkai outfits. However, Shizuru nor Kazuma were good at
culinary activities, except eating. Yukina enrolled herself in a homemakers
club to show them her appreciation. But all she did was mess up! The other
day, she spilled saki all over the newly-polished kitchen floor. Yesterday,
she opened a newly-bought sack of flour too wide, and it took hours just to
clean up the sink area. Her classmates said it looked like Christmas. Yukina
thought it looked like her homeland. No matter how hard she tried, she'd
never get used to Ningenkai-living! She sighed, a glimmer of a tear escaping
down her face, hitting the floor like a marble. 

        Yukina, being a youkai, was capable of creating jewel-tears of
sadness. From the dainty feet, to the wisps of greenish-blue hair on her
pretty head, her aura reflected a hint of melancholy. It showed in her
wistful red eyes. 

        "Hey," came a voice above her. Yukina, who was sitting at the corner
of the room, looked up to see a friendly face with a warm smile. "Are you
alright?" And she offered Yukina her hand.

        Yukina blinked up at the tall girl, then nodded. The girl helped
Yukina up, and continued to smile at her. "Are you having difficulty
learning how to cook? Maybe I can teach you."

        Yukina colored slightly, but gave the girl a grateful smile.

        "By the way," said the girl, her dark green eyes bright and lively.
"I'm Makoto... Kino Makoto." She extended her hand for a handshake. Yukina
looked bewildered by the action. 

        Makoto wondered why she looked confused. Why wasn't she taking
Makoto's hand for a handshake? `Hmm, must be a foreign student...` Makoto
thought.

        Yukina broke through her thoughts. "I'm Yukina."

========================================================================

        The sounds of feet cluttered the hallway. Busy youkai filled the
room. Their voices, loud and annoying, filled Koenma's ears. Something was
amiss.

        "Koenma-sama," Jorju said with his panic-stricken voice. "What will
we do??" The secretary goblin looked at the child in front of him seated in
a nylon-coated office chair. His table was filled with piles of unsigned
paper that were either business contracts or bills. 

        Koenma sucked on his pacifier, his breathing short and tense. "Bring
me Botan right away!" Jorju gave a determined nod, and hurried out the door.

        `It can't be... But how...?` Koenma thought, his hand quivering,
while cold sweat dripped down his forehead and onto the neatly signed paper
in front of him.

        The door to the office opened suddenly. "Jorju?" Koenma asked
uncertainly, and turned. Koenma froze, his eyes widening in shock. "Ra--!!!"
Too late. Whoever it was, it knocked Koenma unconscious, and gave an evil
laugh that rocked its entire body.

        "Reikai and Makai are mine!" It said. Destroying all the objects and
office-people in his path, it walked out the passageway, where the door used
to be, carrying an unconscious Koenma in its hand. Luckily, Jorju was able
to escape, and was able to contact Botan.

=======================================================================

        A gasp escaped the mouth of the beautiful Shinto priestess. Her fire
readings indicated trouble. She sensed it, and the feeling scared her. She
was never afraid of anything, until now. What was happening? 

        "Rei-chan, what's wrong?" The calming, soothing voice came from
Mizuno Ami, an attractive girl of 16, whose intellectual abilities were
simply amazing.

        "It's-- I can feel such strong power..." Rei stared off elsewhere.
Her features contorted into a look of pain and fright.

        "But that can't be," Ami protested. "We've defeated every one in the
Dark Kingdom, haven't we?"

        "This is a much different power I feel, Ami-chan." Rei explained,
her voice growing soft. "I have a feeling the sailor senshi won't be able to
do much. We need help..."

        "Who are these new enemies?" Ami asked forcefully.

        Luna stepped through the door. "Where are those two, Minako-chan and
Mako-chan?? Just because Usagi-chan isn't around, doesn't mean they can't
attend meetings!"

        Rei's voice was just beyond a whisper. "And without Usagi, how are
we going to fight this new enemy?"

        Ami got out her communicator. "I know this is going to be hard, but
we should at least stop depending on Usagi-chan too much, and let her have a
peaceful life with Mamoru-san." Rei and Luna both nod. "First, we contact
Minako-chan and Mako-chan, then we scout the premices."

========================================================================
************************************************************************