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EPISODE TWENTY-TWO: YUKINA, THE LADY OF SADNESS

Because of his experiences while working for Rei kai, Yusuke Urameshi has proven that he is a good Rei kai tantei. After succeeding in his battle with Suzaku, Koenma decided that it's time to assign Yusuke on another mission.

Mornings were never Yusuke's favorite. Back at his house, his mother, Atsuko, had to yell at him just so that he would wake up and go to school. Yusuke sleepily trudged outside the apartment, bypassing his mother's warning words about his bag. Atsuko, who was annoyed at being ignored, threw Yusuke's bag at him, hitting him on the head and shouting a reminder that he MUST attend his classes.

Finally, Yusuke's feeling awake. He ran the way to school, because he treats it as his morning exercise. As he ran, he couldn't dismiss the eerie feeling of being followed. He was stopped by a figure clad in a black coat. Hiei!

Yusuke heaved a sigh of relief. When Hiei handed him a VHS tape and explained that it's for his next mission, the first thing Yusuke thought is where Botan was. Taking the tape from him, Yusuke noticed that Hiei stared at him for a long moment before taking off. Before he could give it any further thoughts, he heard the bell of his school ring and knew that he was late.

In Rei kai, Koenma talked to Kurama about his doubts on Hiei delivering Yusuke's mission to him. Kurama assured him that after the time they spent with Yusuke, the tantei had gained Hiei's respect. Koenma hoped he was right and wished for the best.

Yusuke waited for Kuwabara in their classroom. He had the tape hidden inside his uniform and when Kuwabara appeared, he pulled it out, asking him at the same time if he could watch the VHS at his house. Kuwabara gave him a devilish grin and said okay. Without warning, Keiko appeared and caught Yusuke with the tape on hand. She scolded him for bringing it, and Yusuke remembered the talk he had with Keiko after his fight with Suzaku. He admitted that the tape contains his next mission, and Keiko didn't understand. Yusuke looked shocked, because he thought Botan had explained everything to her. Fortunately, Keiko managed to connect the tape with Yusuke's job to a "detective agency" and just warned him to be careful.

Later in Kuwabara's house, Yusuke exploded at Botan. Botan defended herself, saying that those things are not meant for anyone, like Keiko, to know, and that she was forced to say a few words to her just to make her stop worrying. Yusuke disagreed, but Kuwabara stepped in the middle of their squabble and agreed with Botan. The lesser she knows, the lesser danger she would be in, Kuwabara reasoned. That settled the argument.

Before they started the tape, Kuwabara made a show of declaring to Yusuke that he will never ever tag along to Yusuke during his missions. Yusuke said it was Kuwabara who usually insists on taking him along to his missions. They began to play the tape. Scenes similar to the Metrogoldwyn Meyer Lion appeared and Yusuke and Kuwabara frowned at Koenma's exaggeration with the entire production. In the tape, Koenma introduced himself and launched into a speech that the tape can't be seen by ordinary human eyes. Kuwabara burst into a snide remark about Koenma's toddler form (the same grief Yusuke had given Botan), and Botan immediately chided Kuwabara. He must pay respect to Koenma, since after all, he also has feelings. Because of this, they didn't hear the door open. Shizuru, Kuwabara's older sister, had entered carrying a tray with cups. She stood on the doorway and listened as the tape played on.

Kuwabara's television flashed a view of mountains and a thick forest. Yusuke groaned a protest when he saw it. There, Koenma narrated his next mission for Yusuke. He said that a woman was hidden in the forest shown in the screen. The forest isn't a place for ordinary humans to hang out. The woman's name is Yukina and she's from the Ice Maiden Country of Makai. She has the uncanny ability to create gems and because of this, she was imprisoned by an evil human being.

When Botan saw the gem, she said it was very expensive nowadays and that's why Yukina is very important to be rescued. The man who took her, they learned from the tape, was named Tarukane, a merchant and also known for his deeds as a cheat. The tape had a picture of him and when it flashed on the screen, Yusuke and Kuwabara flinched at his ugly looks. When Yukina was focused on the tape, Kuwabara fell silent and turned red. He suddenly stood up and declared to Yusuke that he's in love. That's when they heard the door behind them shut.

Kuwabara turned to see who it was. It was Shizuru, of course, and she said that she came inside to bring all of them drinks. Botan carefully asked if she had seen everything in the tape, and Shizuru said yes, since after all, the tape did come from their world. Botan nodded meekly and said that Shizuru is Kuwabara's sister, since she possesses the same spiritual ability. Kuwabara bypassed all this and asked his sister if he could borrow some money. Shizuru calmly tossed her wallet to him and he ran out, happy, to do some shopping before they went off to rescue Yukina.

While they were learning about the mission, Tarukane arrived at his mansion in the middle of the forest. He asked his butler about Yukina and announced that he has brought two men from Makai to take care of Yukina. Their names are Toguro Ototo and Toguro Ani, the Toguro Brothers.

Up in the tower, Yukina is envying the the birds who are, unlike her, free. When she heard footsteps coming from outside her chamber, she sent the birds away and immediately released some ki, creating a shield for her and freezing the entire room. When the door opened, her ki intensified, but remained seated on the lone chair inside the room. Tarukane announced that Yukina is very stubborn and hasn't been crying. She's in the brothers' hands now.

Toguro Ototo approached Yukina, with his brother perched on his shoulder. One swift movement of his hand caused a small gash on Yukina's left cheek, and it bled, but she didn't cry. Tarukane mentioned that it's ineffective since he's tried that before. Toguro Ototo tried to figure out what to do next when two stray birds visited Yukina. She immediately attempted to send them away and Toguro Ani was quick enough to sense her compassion for her friends. His fingers stretched towards the birds and choked them to death, while Yukina begged him to spare the birds' lives. Seeing their death brought her tears in her eyes and gave Tarukane a total of 10 gems. The Toguro brothers left, with Toguro Ototo's words, I'm going to come back anytime I want, ringing in her ears

Yusuke, along with Botan and Kuwabara, were dropped off by a bus at the entryway of the forest where Yukina was kept in captive. They hurried inside and unknown to them, they were already under surveillance. A statue at the entrance of the forest suddenly opened its eyes.

When seated comfortably in his living room, Tarukane happily inspected the gems Yukina had given him. He congratulated the brothers for a job well done and told them they can relax. However, his butler had news for him: tourists had found their way on the forest. Tarukane ordered for the "tourists" to be exterminated immediately. Hearing this, Toguro Ototo volunteered their services for fun, which Tarukane approved.

Glancing around the forest, Yusuke said that they might have to spend the night there. Kuwabara, however, was enthusiastic about the mission and found paths where they could take to reach the mountain. Seeing this, Yusuke told Botan that Kuwabara seems to be so in love with Yukina. Botan worried how they could tell him that she's Hiei's younger sister (which was announced in the tape long after Kuwabara dashed to the stores). They caught up to Kuwabara, when he announced that he's feeling a strange energy around the. Yusuke noticed it, too, and they were met by a man who wanted to know what they were doing there. They claimed to be lost and it was a believable story, until Yusuke let it slip that they could make a lot of money in that solitude. This angered the man and he said that for a bunch of "lost" kids, they knew a lot. He then transformed to a youkai, which Yusuke and Kuwabara finished quickly.

After tackling the monster, Yusuke had a hunch that they will not be getting any rest while at the forest. His gut feeling is correct, because little did they know that the entire forest is filled with all kinds of obstacles that they have to surpass.

 

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