I don't own anyone you know…duh

"So do you guys have a game plan or are you just going to run in blind and-"

"Kill or be killed that's the only plan I live by" Hiei and Raven sat out on her lawn. "Kurama's close" Hiei could feel the fox's energy.

"I know it's not your thing but can I just give you one hug?" Raven bit her lip waiting for 'Hn. Hugs are for fools with no spine I don't hug. I don't do mushy human things' she sighed a bit of a frown on her face.

"Hn-"'Here it comes' Raven looked at him waiting for the rejection. "Fine but don't make a habit of it. I find it a stupid way to spend your time" Hiei wouldn't give a full concession.

"Everything but killing is a stupid way to spend your time' Raven rolled her eyes but she didn't care that he was snarky as usual, she rather liked it. She clutched him close she didn't want to let him go. Hiei's arms didn't wrap around her but he did lean his head against hers breathing in her scent. He almost asked her to come along to the dark tournament to sit in the stands so she could still be close. But he shook his head one she had her own issues to deal with and two having her nearby would make him weak and weakness meant death at the dark tournament. Raven finally let go, Hiei was a bit surprised and disappointed he liked being close to her having her warmth flow over him.

"Hello Kurama" She waved at the red head coming their way. "You're welcome" she whispered in hiei's ear. He gave a wicked smile he knew Raven on any other day would've kept hugging him and embarrassed the fire demon in front of his teammate.

"I would've strangled you with your own braid" He whispered back.

"Wow how romantic of you. You must be damn good at pillow talk" She gave Hiei a quick hug again sticking out her tongue when she pulled away. Hiei took her braid by his hand and yanked her backwards. "Ow jackass' She laughed, he turned to give a smile that Kurama couldn't see.

"Well are you ready Hiei?" Kurama stood at the edge of Raven's lawn.

"Hn you need to be more worried about whether you're ready Kurama" Hiei sat up and began to walk off.

"You won't even say goodbye to the girl?" Kurama inquired.

"Yet again mind your own business fox" They started to walk off.

"Try not to lose too hard Jaganshi" Raven shouted as she got up to head into her house.

"If I lose I'm dead" He turned around.

"Try not to lose too hard" she repeated "You're no good to me dead" She grinned from the door.



"Try not to get in over your head while I'm gone fool" he didn't look back from there 'I'll come back' He assured her.

'I'll be here' she watched the demons walk off.

"I suppose I love you is just played out" Kurama chuckled at the two cold fire demons.

"Love is a weak emotion" Hiei sneered as they walked to the boat's docking point.

"Hey Guys!" Kuwabara waved feverishly as he walked through the woods. Hiei's skin curled at the sound of his voice. He took a deep sigh to quench his frustration.

"The quicker we win this the quicker I can be rid of him" Hiei muttered. When the boat started off Hiei stood on the railing staring off into the water. As they moved farther into the sea an announcement was made that the preliminary battles would be fought on the ship. The masked fighter had volunteered to fight and Kuwabara as always had to put in his two cents in.

"Are you serious we don't know jack squat about that guy what if he loses and we get booted from the tournament "

"If that happens all we have to do is kill everyone else on the boat before we reach the island we'll say we're the right team and no one will complain" Hiei stated nonchalantly he was ready to fight ready to kill ready to prove himself to everyone in the spirit world.

"You didn't have very many friends growing up did you?" Kuwabara stared at the demon backing away slowly. The battle for survival was on. Even though the masked fighter did win, hiei's plan did have to go into effect they had to kill every demon on the vessel.

--Back in raven's home--

"What do you want?" One of the many outcasts that lived in the home opened the door popping her bubble gum staring at the boy standing in the door way.

"H...Hello I'm Connor" He stook out his hand looking inside the house for any sign of her.

"Yeah and they call me Cheri what's it to ya?" She was about to close the door on the boy wearing an oversized green suit.

"Um is...is Raven here?" He stuttered nervously striating his tie.

"Ugh. Raven another weird ass man is at our door and wants to talk to you" Cheri gave heavy sigh; she knew this one was a demon maybe a new boyfriend since the short one had left. When she saw raven slide down the stair railing she walked away from the door. "Couldn't wait a solid week? Someone's a closet whore" Cheri snickered.

"Wha-"She looked over to their guest her voice got caught in her throat her eyes got large. Cheri caught on to her friend's surprised look.



"Do you want me to throw him out so long as I can sock the loser in the jaw I'll do it" Cheri said a bit too eagerly.

"No I'll talk to him" Raven ran her hand through her hair a nervous habit of hers. Cheri shrugged and went into the kitchen. "Connor I'd welcome you in but I...I just can't" She sighed.

"Please Raven I'm sorry about what happened to you. But it's different now. We're different, a different generation I swear" He took a step towards her she took a step back.

"Connor I can't go back there no matter how much you've changed. I just can't plus I've got a life here and-"

"A life is that what you call this?" Eli another friend of Raven's shouted from the kitchen.

"Shut up and stop ease dropping or I'll cut off your ears" Raven shouted over her shoulder.

"I see, you wouldn't want to leave this behind" Connor smirked. "You belong with us Raven it's in your blood-"

"My blood is muddied with half demon half witch blood I don't belong anywhere so just stop trying-"Raven gritted her teeth she hated thinking about it.

"Just come with me and see it, visit your old friends you can leave if you want after that. We heard about your attachment to the spirit detective team that's how we found you, if you're running with a group like that you would definitely be able to get out of a simple town. Just give us a chance." He pleaded his case then held out a hand to her.

"I-"She sighed, the problem wouldn't go away and what did she have to lose. "Fine I'll go" she put her hand in his. 'I have to take this on by myself, I told Hiei I could and…and I will.' She sighed following Connor to a small unstable portal to the demon world.

--Break neck island--

"He survived it all. How could you?!" A dumbfounded Zeru question a smoldering Hiei.

"I believe we've covered that. So my jagan eye may not be natural but it does give me exactly what I need. I have the power to pull you into oblivion I assume just my right arm will do" The black orb in his hand began to grow. "Dragon of the darkness flame!" Zeru was obliterated his ash outline staining the arena's wall.

"I can't believe it hiei's succeeded" Kurama was astonished just like everyone else. Hiei just stared at his arm, pain coursing through every fiber of his being, he could not show weakness he walked off the platform and stood over by the wall. It hurt so bad the dragoon had not only killed zeru but severely damaged hiei's dominant arm. He wouldn't lose, he wouldn't become useless like kuwabara, he would master the dragon if it killed him 'I'll have Raven burry me beneath that tree of hers. Don't lose to hard' 

her voice rang in her head. He clenched his fist tight a mocking tone in her voice or at least that's how he remembered and it angered him, anger overcame pain he gave a hurt grunt and watched on.

--Fire demons domain--

She could feel their eyes on her boring holes into her. "Connor I don't think this was such a good idea."She looked at them, the elders of the town were hateful the tension was palpable.

"Just ignore them Raven" he put an arm over her shoulders directing her forward.

"I don't want to ignore them I think it's best if I go home. When you all came after me last week why did you chase me, you, Gemini, Max, your uncle why can't you leave me alone." She pushed his arm off of her.

"Because we miss you. I miss you. We used to be best friends don't you remember?" They stopped in the middle of the street.

"Send the witch back into the woods where she belongs feed her to the animals" a woman bumped shoulders into raven spitting on her shoes.

"It's good to be home" Raven sighed she wished she could be so bright eyed and optimistic as her friend Connor. "I'm so not cleaning that, I can tell I catch something from that spit, and there are way funner ways to catch a disease" Raven looked down at the sign of disgust and frowned.

"Come on I told my parents your coming, their ok with it" He stated with a smile.

"I'll stay the night but tomorrow I'm done with this" She looked around sadly she wished she belonged she had given up hope of that years ago. She chewed at her lip.

"You can stay as long as you want, you belong here raven it can be like it was before everyone found out...um"

"That I'm a witch" She turned to him bitterly then she sighed. "Does your mom still make squash soup that I like so much" she smiled trying not to break the innocent boy's heart.

"We made it just for you I knew you'd come" He hugged her tight. She laughed and sat amongst friends, friends like her. She felt warm inside she could get used to the feeling. She for a night felt wanted felt a part of something but it wasn't to last when the merriment ended the food was eaten and the friends went home she felt an impending riot in this place that used to be home.

A few days passed and she knew her time was up. She lied in her bed staring up into nothingness when she heard a pounding on the door, she closed her eyes she had felt them coming the townspeople who wanted her gone, dead, they wanted her name to be a bitter memory. Looking out her window she saw a mob arguing amongst themselves some calling her abomination others saying she was meant to be a part of their society. Raven sighed it was foolish to believe even for a second that she fit in anywhere. She headed to the door; standing by it was Connor and his family. "I'm sorry for all this' Raven's voice 

cracked she was upset, any thoughts of her coming back to this place were shattered once she left she'd be gone for good.

"I'm sorry it's my fault I thought we changed but your right nothing has changed" Connor wouldn't look at Raven he cursed himself for selfishly searching for his friend.

"That's not all bad. You haven't changed either" She took Connor's hand. "And I'm glad that's so" She went to the door.

"Go out the window Raven you can run to the portal this door can be replaced let them knock it down" Connor's mother pushed at Raven's arm.

"I won't run" Raven shook her head opening the door. All the hateful faces all the anger all the fear of the young woman in front of them. "What do you want from me?" She barely got out before feeling a fist connect to her jaw.

"Hey" Connor stood in front of her but she pushed him aside.

"Let them do what they must. I don't want any loose ends when I leave" She closed her eyes feeling a knee in her stomach.

"No I" Connor tried to block her again but she was pulled into the mob. 'What would Hiei think if he saw this' She smiled blood seeping from her mouth she could block the physical pain for a while. 'He'd never understand that by not fighting I win. They think I'm a monster I won't give them the satisfaction of being proved right. Hiei would have a good laugh. When he gets back I wont hear the end of it' she blocked out the pain of the beating with thoughts of a laughing demon and how she would knock him to the floor when he did and how she would kiss him when he came back from the tournament.She fell to the ground after a while she got woozy her eyes fluttered as the words they called her swirled in her head.

When she woke up she yelled putting her hands in front of her face immediately regretting the decision of getting up, her bruises sent paint over her. "Raven calm down your safe, from us" Connor had her back to her back to her house where Cheri had bandaged her up a ton of guilt weighing him down.

"It's not your fault Conner, you think the best of people don't go and change that" She rubbed her head.

"Hmm. So tell me who's Hiei?" Connor decided to lighten the conversation.

"How did you-"

"You said that name in your sleep. Tell me what kind of dream were you having" He laughed watching the broken girl blush.

"Sexually frustrated much" Cheri laughed. "God you two fuck more than you talk can't blame you I guess he's the perfect height for-"



"Ok Ok um lets… hey?! We talk. We do more than just shag we-"

"I know you love each other I think if that's what you call it" Eli entered the room. "Want to hear some good news?"

"About Hiei?" Raven's eyes were wide, hoping Hiei had contacted them while she was gone.

"Is he at the dark tournament?" Eli assumed the violent demon was. He looked at Raven with pity she id love and She did miss the half pint with an attitude.

"Maybe. What's the news?" She demanded.

"We got tickets courtesy of the toguro team. Weird huh" He held the envelope with the tickets.

"So are we going or what?" Connor asked. Raven stared down at the tickets.

Really long kind of Raven centralized chapter but I wanted only one chapter with them apart so I thought this would suffice.