A Fight for the Light

A Chance Meeting

It was shortly after my arrival on Hanging-Neck Island that I became aware of it. I can't really describe what it was but I felt something... like a faint cryptic whisper was being repeatedly echoed in my ear. I knew something was happening; something was coming. But what? That I did not know. I just knew it was going to change me.

I found out what I was feeling the second day we were on the island. Oddly enough, I discovered it when trying to open the door to my hotel room.

"Damn key card," I murmured to myself, swiping the card through the slot in every possible way.

"Here, lemme help ye out there lass," a hand reached out, swiped my key card through the slot, and opened my door.

"Thank you so mu--," I looked up and froze.

"Alicia?" Jin's eyes went wide and his ears went pointy.

"Jin-chan?! What the hell are you doing here!?" I laughed slightly.

"We're in the tournament," Jin pointed over his shoulder at Touya, who was carrying his bags into their room.

"You're in the tournament? You mean you're fighting?"

"Yeah. Are you?" Jin asked.

"My team... said they would consider me as a possible alternate but...," I frowned.

"Ye don't think they'll let ye fight?" Once Jin got a slight nod out of me, he continued, "Ye should fight fer our team as our alternate. We'll share the prize with ye whe'er we use you or not."

"What do you intend to ask for?" I looked up at him quizzically.

"Freedom," Jin said with a smirk. "Been in the dark too long, me friend. We want freedom fro' the darkness."

"Wow Jin," my eyes sparkled. "I never thought you'd wish for something like that."

"What did you think I'd wish for?"

"I don't know.... a year's supply of potatoes, a trip to Dublin perhaps, a whisky...," I trailed off with a teasing smirk on my face.

"Don't realize how mean you're being, do ye?"

"Sorry Jin," I laughed. Then I saw Kurama coming and I panicked. "Uh Jin-chan? Can we continue this conversation somewhere else? Perhaps in your team's hotel suite?"

"Huh?" Jin blinked at me.

Pulling Jin close to me, I pointed to Kurama and whispered, "He's a member of my team."

"Oh, right," Jin gave a bit of a nod and dragged me over to Team Masho's suite, closing the door behind the two of us. "Listen, if yer scared they might find out if we talk anywhere else, we can always sit around here and talk."

"Hey Jin. Who are you talking to?" Touya asked, lowering the mystery novel he was reading enough to see over the edge. Though he clearly could see over the edge of the book, his vision must have still been impaired because he did not move in the slightest when I jumped straight across the room and landed on top of him.

"Hi hi Touya-san!" I grinned.

"Hi Alicia-san," Touya managed to get out, still recovering from the shock and pain of having me land on top of his chest.

"Gomen nasai, Touya-san," I hugged him tightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Alicia-san," he replied with a soft nervous smile. There had always been what seemed- to many- to be a higher level of formality between Touya and myself than between Jin and I. Actually, I think the truth was that we both faked the formality to keep our emotions hushed. Touya and I were just as close as Jin and I but Touya wasn't used to physical contact. It freaked Touya out when I hugged him or gave him a little kiss on the cheek. Speaking of which, he was practically hyperventilating over what I had just done. Even a tap on the shoulder occasionally unnerved him. Thus, we used formal titles for each other in an attempt to distance ourselves slightly. As you can assume, the formalities didn't always keep me under control.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"Great!" I grinned. "And you, Touya-san?"

"Fine. I just don't see how you can say you've been great living in that dark oblivion of sin we call home," Touya sighed.

"Didn't I tell you two?" I looked back and forth between Touya and Jin, puzzled. "I could have sworn I did..."

"Tell us what, lass?" Jin asked.

"I got out of the Demon World years ago. I live here in the Human World in a little house in Japan now."

"Yer... fro' that human team!?" Jin blinked.

"To be perfectly fair, only two of us are full humans. One's a half-breed, Kurama and I are demon reincarnates, and then there's our very-screwed-up full demon- he has issues."

"Sounds like an interesting band of misfits... not entirely unlike our own," Touya mused.

"Hai, hai, we're freaks! And I, for one, am proud of it!" I smiled.

"Yer proud o' everything," Jin laughed. "If I killed someone, ye'd be proud. If I insulted ye, ye'd be proud. If I died, ye'd be proud. If I gave up life as a shinobi and became a devout Buddhist priest, ye'd be proud."

"You can't be a Buddhist priest! You're Catholic!" I then added nervously, "But, yeah, I'd still be proud."

"Alicia-san," Touya said, "you seem so cheerful. You were never so happy before."

"I'm sorry that you haven't experienced life in the light yet," I frowned. "It still has its ups and downs but I'm so much happier here in the light."

"Don't worry, Alicia-san," he smiled. "We'll be there soon enough."

"I hope so, Touya-san. I really hope so," I faked a smile to offer what little assurance I had. I knew full well the true powers of Urameshi and the others... and I knew the complete powers of Jin and Touya and had an idea of the strength of their other companions. It seemed to me that, despite the motivation both teams had, neither had the power to triumph. If they were to come up against each other, I saw it as a strong possibility that every last participant would die. I didn't want that. I couldn't take that.

Kurama meant too much to me... Touya meant too much to me... Hiei meant too much to me... even Yusuke meant too much to me... and Jin. Jin, how could I forget him? Kurama had certainly been the one to raise me in the demon ways, but Jin was the one who refined me. He challenged me to grow stronger. He even challenged me to get smarter. Yes, despite the dumb look in his eye, Jin challenged me to become smarter than Kurama had pushed me to be. Jin refined my attitude, my mind, my soul, and my body. If Kurama was the father I never had, then Jin was the big brother I never had.

"Alicia, lass, are ye feelin' okay?" Jin blinked.

"Huh?" I shook my head, snapping out of my deep thought. "I'm fine, Jin. Really."

"You look pale, Alicia-san, and you feel warm," Touya brought his hand to rest on my forehead.

"Of course I feel warm to you, Touya-san! You're an icicle, baka!" I objected.

Jin walked over and placed his hand on my forehead as well, "Nah, 'e's right. Yer fev'rish."

"Ack! I can't get sick!" I sniffled, my eyes moistening with tears.

"Best get so' rest w'le ye can," Jin suddenly scooped me up in his arms.

"Dammit, Jin! PUT ME DOWN!"

"Okay, ye asked fer it, lass," Jin dropped me into a big soft bed. "I was gonna let ye use me bed but ye dem'ded to be put down so ye'll just have to rest in Biggy's smelly bed."

"This... is Bakken's bed?" I quiered nervously, eyes wide.

"Yeah."

"AH!" I jumped up and ran straight for Touya. "Touya, smell! It didn't rub off on me did it!?"

"What didn't rub off on you?" he asked.

"Bakken's B.O. of course!" I said. "Please, tell me I don't smell!"

"You don't smell."

"You didn't even take a whiff!"

"Alicia-san, Jin's teasing you... That's my bed not Bakken's."

"Ooh Jin are you gonna get it!" I shouted, reaching for the nearest 'weapon', which happened to be a Swiffer mop. Then I chased him about the suite, cursing at him and trying to hit him with the Swiffer. I knew - when Touya had managed to finally block out the commotion and rest - that it had already been too long and I should give up. "I'll get you later but I'm sick of fighting right now so I'll put revenge on hold."

"Thanks," he said. "After runnin' 'round fer over three hours I'm a tad exhausted. Wallop me now and methinks I'll die!"

"Heh, sounds like a plan! The Almighty Swiffer shall be a means to your demise, Jin! Brace yourself!" I began chasing him again.

"I thought ye said ye were takin' a break!"

"I did! Now time's up! DIE!" I hit him on the head gently.

"Huh?" he turned around and gave me a puzzled look. "Tha's it?"

"Come on, you don't seriously believe I'd ever try to kill you, do you?" I chuckled.

"Ye mean to say that, while I've been runnin' for me bloomin' life fer the last three and a 'alf hours, YE WERE JUST JOKIN'!?!?!?!"

"Yep," I giggled, "that's about it."

"Oh, well, I woulda done the same."