Hiei wrapped his arms around Hana, "I did too."
Hana looked up into Hiei's eyes, "Then why didn't you stop me?"
He looked away, "I thought you would be happier without me."
"And I told you I could never be happy without you," She replied, "You still didn't stop me."
Hiei didn't reply.
"Does that mean you don't care about me," Hana said softly.
Hiei turned back to her, "That's not true Hana. You're the only girl I actually fell in love with."
Hana looked away blushing, "Sorry for doubting you."
He didn't reply he put his hand under Hana's chin and lifted her face to his. Hiei leaned closer to Hana but she suddenly turned away.
"What's wrong?" Hiei asked.
Hana was looking to her right and her eyes troubled, "I thought I heard something."
Hiei looked in the direction she was looking and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Still something seemed off.
"Hana," Hiei started, "Do you have a room back at the hotel?"
"Yes," Hana answered.
"I'm going to walk you back to the hotel room," He said still staring in the direction of the noise. She looked at Hiei worried he only acted like this when he wanted her safe but she allowed him to lead her back to the hotel.
With the hotel in sight, Hana started to walk toward the front entrance but Hiei stopped her.
"Hiei?" Hana asked confused.
Hiei gave her a light kiss on her cheek, "I'll check on you later okay?" Hana blushed and nodded. "Okay good," Hiei said then left.
When Hiei left Hana lightly touched her cheek where he kissed and smiled. Hana started to work the lock of the door to the hotel.
"Did you miss me?" A dark voice whispered in Hana ear while his hand ran down her spine.
Hana spun around, "Karasu."
"Thought you'd gotten rid of me, did you?" He leaned against the wall. "Perhaps, I'll fight Hiei in the finals and settle an old score" Hana gasped. "Didn't you know? I'm on Team Toguro. We fight team Urameshi the day after next."
"You're despicable." She hissed.
"No dear, I simply know what I want." He sighed. "However, that Kurama... He was a treat to see today. Of course when I see something I like, I destroy it."
Hana pushed herself up against the door, struggling to insert her key in the door.
"Hey!" Kari's voice shouted. "If anyone is going to destroy Kurama, it's me."
Hana sighed in relief as Kari walked over.
"Well, if it isn't his widow." Karasu chortled. "Or should I say ex-widow? Must be hard to find your husband is still alive."
"I see you have a mask to cover your face." She fit her key easily into the lock. "We'll see if it helps in the match. Most likely not since Kurama is going to slaughter you."
Without looking back, Kari entered the hotel and Hana quickly followed. When they got to their room, Kari sighed in relief as she closed the door and locked it.
"He's gotten stronger." Kari told Hana. "I can feel it."
"He said he's on the team going against Hiei and Kurama in the finals." Hana rubbed her hands nervously. "Do you think they can beat him?"
"I don't see why not." Kari tried to reassure Hana, but she felt uneasy herself. Youko might have been able to beat Karasu before, but in his human body? "Yet, I suspect we have all day tomorrow and the match the next day to worry about it, so let's get some sleep now."
Hana looked like she had something to say but just shook her head. Kari walked to the room next door and saw Jin peacefully asleep. She'd been a hellion with him for the last few years. It was strange seeing him calm.
She brushed the hair from his face, "Just when life seems to settle down, another ripple is sent through."
After changing into her pajamas, Kari crawled into the bed across from Jin's and fell asleep.
Hana changed into her nightgown soon after Kari's left. Thinking, she sat on the edge of her bed. Hiei said he would check on her later so she wasn't sure if she should sleep just yet. Seeing Karasu had shaken her and brought back bad memories. She wasn't sure if she could sleep, anyways. A chilly breeze brought Hana out of her thoughts as she shivered. Her eyes looked for the source of the chill and saw her window was open. For a moment, Hana shrank down, fearing it was Karasu, but then made out Hiei's familiar form.
"Hiei, why did you come in through the window?" Hana asked in a hushed tone.
"I thought you would be asleep," Hiei answered.
Hana looked down, "Well something was bothering me so I couldn't sleep."
Hiei was by her side in an instant, "What's bothering you?"
"Well Karasu showed up after you left-," Hana started.
"What!" Hiei interrupted, "Where is he I'll kill him this time!"
"Hiei, I'm fine," Hana started then lied, "He didn't even lay a finger on me."
Hiei calmed down a little and muttered, "I still want to kill him."
Hana sighed she knew Hiei was only acting this way because he cared about her.
"Hiei you can worry about him during the finals," Hana spoke.
"He's on Team Toguro?" Hiei asked.
"Yeah he told me." Hana answered.
Hiei smiled, "Maybe I can finally kill him." Hana stared at Hiei her eyes widening. Hiei noticed and his smile faded. He muttered, "Sorry."
Hana shook her head, "It's fine anyways you should leave I need to sleep."
Hiei turned to Hana and hugged her, "See you tomorrow."
Before he left, Hiei placed a kiss on Hana's cheek.
In the morning, Kari woke up with a newfound determination to confront Kurama. Shou found Kurama's spirit energy and followed it to a clearing. He and another human boy were standing there. Kurama stared at the potion The Beautiful Suzuka gave him. It contained the fruit of the past life: the key to transforming into Youko. The other boy, Kurama had called him Kuwabara, stood next to him with the hilt of a sword in his hand, eyeing it suspiciously. Kari had waited patiently for Suzuka to leave, but now she didn't know what to do. How do you approach your once dead husband? Throwing her thoughts aside, Kari started running toward Kurama.
"Boot to the head!" She cried.
Instead of ducking, Kurama moved to the side, narrowly missing a kick to his chest.
"Your aim always was terrible." Kurama smirked.
"I don't need aim as long as make contact somewhere." Kari repeated a line she told him many times in training.
"Kurama, who is she?" Kuwabara interrupted.
"An old friend," She answered before Kurama could comment, "A very old friend."
"Really?" Kuwabara's personality flipped to an easy going smile. "Why didn't you see him sooner?"
"Well, ya know, in those nose bleeding seats there, you can barely hear the competitors' trash talk." Kari's voice took a sardonic tone. "Let alone hone in on the spirit energy of Youko Kurama in a human's body."
Kuwabara's eyes widened.
"As she said, she's an old friend." Kurama cut in. "Would you mind leaving us Kuwabara? I'm sure you want to try out your new item."
"Oh, that's right!" A wide grin spread across his face as he held up the hilt in pride. "Urameshi won't be able to stop me with this!"
Kuwabara walked away laughing.
"Oh, I like him." Kari smiled at Kurama. "He's fun."
Before she could elaborate, Kurama pulled her in and held her so tightly her ribs hurt. "I missed you so much."
Of all the reactions Kari expected, this wasn't one of them. She didn't hug him back. Her hands remained clutched at her side.
"Then why didn't you come back?" She fought to control the tremble in her voice.
"I wanted to." Kurama's grip loosened. "I had to recover my strength. Then my human mother got sick."
Kurama began to explain that to escape the demon hunter, he entered the body of an unborn human baby. At first, he wanted nothing more than to return to the demon world. However, when his mother risked her well-being to stop a jar from crashing down on him, he realized she loved him. Even more surprising, he started to care for her as his mother.
"I never expected you would come to care for a human." She smiled. "Eighteen years on Earth has changed you."
"And what about you?" He held her at arm's length. "I hardly recognize you."
"Yeah," Kari scratched her head and looked down. "A couple hundred years will do that."
Kari looked up and, for a split second, she recognized someone she knew and loved in his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat and she turned away.
"H-How is training" She gestured to the potion. "Are you going to use that?"
"I don't see how I can win against Karasu without it." Kurama answered grimly. "He's gotten a lot stronger…"
Silence crept between the two. Kari smoothed some nonexistent ruffle in her dress.
"I should go." She started to walk away. "I don't know what I thought coming here would accomplish…"
"Wait!" Kurama ran after her, "What's wrong?"
"We're different demons now." Kari shook her head. "I was just a pup when we married. I mean, really, I had my first heat right before we married. Since then I've struggled with a miscarriage and depression. Then I moved to teach herbology at an all-girls school, later I got fired and started my own shop… All alone. If Jin hadn't wandered in to my shop one day and ripped me away from my existence as a hermit…"
"Oh, Kari…" He wrapped her shaking form in his arms. "I'm so, so sorry."
"You left me." Tears ran down her cheeks. "And then I lost the baby." She tried to compose herself. "Years later, right when I start living my life, you come back. So if you think you can just waltz in and pretend like nothing happened you got another thing coming."
Kari tried to leave, but Kurama grip tightened around her.
"You might have been young, but I wasn't." His voice was firm. "I have dated a lot of women, well not a lot of women, but enough to know what love is and we had it. You can't just walk away from that."
"Maybe you can't." She said softly. Then she added briskly, "Either way you have a match tomorrow and no idea how to use that potion Suzuka gave you. That is the first hurdle we have to face."
"I'll be safe." He let go on her. "I promise you."
By mid-morning Hana finally woke up. Hana got dressed and left the hotel as soon as she could. "Why didn't Kari wake me up," Hana thought to herself while walking quickly out of the hotel.
"You're sure leaving the hotel quickly," A familiar voice remarked behind her. Hana turned around rapidly and was happy, and partially relieved, to see Hiei.
"Hiei," Hana started, "I was just about to go look for you."
"I actually was on my way to your hotel room," He explained, "I was going to see what was taking you so long."
"I'm sorry I overslept," Hana apologized.
Hiei walked over to Hana and hugged her.
"I'm glad you're okay," Hiei spoke, "When I didn't see you sooner I thought something bad happened to you."
Hana blushed, "Hiei I'm fine don't worry."
Kari walked back to the hotel feeling conflicted. She wanted nothing more than to turn around, jump into Kurama's arms and never leave. But she had a new life now and, frankly, she was happy. She had a happy, comfortable friendship with Jin. Well, she preferred to call it a companionship. They were two wind demons making their way through life together. And while she would admit that they were closer than most people, they simply had no romantic interest in each other. Rumors fluttered about claiming she was his mistress, but they were just that. Unfounded rumors. Being single agreed with her and her new lifestyle.
"Kari!" Jin's voice called and brought her back to earth.
She looked around and saw him speaking with another man. At least she thought the cloaked figure was a man. He was 5' 3 with a bulky build, but Kari wouldn't describe him a fat, just filled out. Kari was more concerned with why a he was cloaked in this weather. It was just like Jin to find the most suspicious looking demon and make him a friend.
" 'e says 'e looking for a lass." Jin explained excitedly. "vonder if we'd seen anyfing."
"Your cockney is showing." Kari teased Jin. Then she turned to the man. "Just who exactly are you looking for?"
"A female, about 4'7." He used his hand to show her height. "Blonde hair, blue, almost purple eyes."
"And, let me guess, pretty?" She cut in.
"Gorgeous." He corrected her a bit too quickly. Checking his behavior, he took a step back, "I mean yes, very pretty."
"Hey, Kari doesn't she sound like-" Kari elbowed Jin in the ribs before he could finish.
"We'll keep an eye out for her." She nodded. "Although, I don't know if I've seen anyone like that around here." Kari hooked her arm around Jin's and pulled him, "If you don't mind, Jin and I have some talking to do. Come along dear."
Once they were far enough away, Kari let go of him.
"Why did you lie to 'im?" Jin asked.
"Because you don't tell creepy people that the demon they are looking for sleeps right upstairs, especially when that demon is your friend." She sighed. "His actions just reek of suspiciousness. I doubt Hana is still in the room. I'll talk to Her about it tonight to see if she knows anything."
"Seems like it would be easier to introduce them and then beat the crap out of 'im if he tried anything." Jin grumbled.
"Ah, that is the difference between you and me." Kari sighed. "Sometimes avoiding violence is the best solution."
"It's also the dullest." He pouted. Then he smiled, "I found some nice cliffs to train on over 'ere. Want to check it out?"
"Of course!"