I knew immediately that I was not dead.

I had come close enough to whatever came beyond death a handful of times to know that when I passed over permanently, I would be greeted by warmth and bright light. This place was cold, and dim. What surrounded me was not blackness, but a muted dark grey, like deep dark waters. Around me swirled pale golden mist that seemed to dance and sway, though there was no breeze or indeed any sound at all.

And stepping out of the mist, across from me, was myself.

Or so it appeared, anyway. The girl across from me had my face, my dark hair, but where my eyes were nearly black, hers were the same pale gold as the energy surrounding us, and seemed to glow with an inner light. She did not speak at first, merely staring at me with an impassive face.

Maybe this was Death, coming to chew me out in person for cheating her so many times.

"So have I used up eight of my nine lives, or am I just unkillable?" I asked tiredly, watching the girl and curiously drifting my hand through the curling golden mist. It was surprisingly warm, almost like steam.

The girl's face didn't even twitch, pale eyes unblinking. Then she said, in an ancient voice that was not mine, "Are you pure? Or are you wicked?"

I blinked, withdrawing my hand from the mist and returning my full attention to the girl. Thing, really. It was no girl. I waited for it to elaborate, but that appeared to be all it was going to say.

"What, those are the only two options? Pure or wicked, nothing in between?"

"Are you pure, or are you wicked?" It repeated. It gestured broadly with its arm—my arm—and around her the mist began to take shape, and the glowing light formed images. Memories.

Myself, fighting. Killing, slaughtering human and demon alike. Hideki and Aya's father. The little girl. Kuwabara.

Regret, and horror, and sorrow, and a million other conflicting emotions had my throat clenching and my eyes stinging. The images had no sound, but I could remember it. I could feel the blood on my hands, hear the screaming. The begging. I clenched my eyes shut, a luxury I hadn't had with Ichigaki, but opened them when the thing spoke again.

"Are you pure?" Its eyes slid meaningfully from me to the images in the mist. "Or are you wicked?"

Maybe this was Death, after all. Was it trying to decide where to send me? I didn't expect to have a say in that.

On paper, I should probably go to hell, shouldn't I? I'd killed… dozens, at least. But I hadn't wanted to. I'd never hurt anyone on purpose. I'd fought, kicking and screaming, against every drop of blood I ever drew.

That had to count for something, didn't it?

"I didn't ask for this," I told the thing, watching its pale, unblinking gaze for any sign of change. "I didn't want to kill any of those people." I started to say I never wanted to kill anyone, but I quickly realized that it wasn't true. And it seemed wrong to lie to this thing. I was sure it would know if I did, anyway.

"The only ones I ever wanted to kill were Ichigaki and his servants, and I couldn't even do that. And if wanting to kill them makes me wicked, then fine. I wouldn't want to be pure." I glared at the thing, but she still didn't blink or react at all to the promise. "So if you're going to punish me, or send me to hell, or whatever, go ahead. I'm more than ready."

The thing gazed at me for another long moment. Then, it quirked its lips, closing its eyes.

I opened mine.

"Save your tears, Metamura. Your boys aren't dead."

Waking up was like being punched in the gut. I knew immediately that the veruka was gone, because it inhibited my ability to feel pain, and I was certainly feeling it now as I groaned and pushed myself off the ground. Around me the boys stirred as well.

"I... I can move." Ryo stared at his hands in shock.

I, too, watched with a deep sense of satisfaction as I flexed and curled my fingers freely. It was such a simple thing, being able to stretch and flex and fidget, but it was a thing I'd been denied for so long that it was impossible to sit still. The conversation around us in the ring and the demons roaring in the crowd were suddenly extra loud, as if cotton had been removed from my ears. I suspected it was because the orders which had echoed in my skull for weeks and weeks were no longer beating a constant refrain in my mind.

"Now this is stupid-weird," Yusuke said, eyeing the four of us warily as we slowly, almost drunkenly swayed to our feet.

"Ryo, En!" Kai surged forward to embrace each of us in turn. "Ren!" His hug was warm and painfully tight, but I clutched him back just as fiercely, feeling tears of relief prick at my eyes. Real tears, this time. Not blood.

We were alive. And free. I had dreamed for weeks of freedom, but I'd hardly dared to imagine that we could ever be free of the veruki and manage to live.

Ryo must have had similar thoughts, because he muttered, flexing his hands like he still couldn't believe he was the one controlling them, "We're really alive."

"And in complete control," Kai added, amazed. He reached his hand back to where the veruka had once been embedded, and his eyes shimmered with unshed tears as his hand grasped empty air.

"I never thought I'd see you!"

We all turned. To me, the man was unrecognizable, looking gaunt and tired in a martial arts uniform which hung loosely on his thin frame—but it was easy to figure out who he was when the boys cried, "Master!" and quickly turned away, hiding their faces from him.

Master Metamura, who had been stepping forward to embrace his pupils, stopped short with his hand outstretched, brow furrowed. "Why do you turn?"

The boys' shoulders trembled.

"We've committed horrible sins, Master," Ryo said, voice shaking. "I can't even remember all the people that I've..." Killed went unspoken.

"The lessons that you taught us didn't mean anything," Kai's voice dripped with self-loathing. "We're a disgrace to your dojo."

"Please just leave us, Master. We can't bear to look at you now!" En cried. His eyes were shadowed by his hair, but I saw tear drops fall at his feet.

Ryo fisted his hands at his side and spat, "She should have just killed us."

Metamura had been listening with a pitying look on his face, but at Ryo's words his face hardened. "How can you say such things?!"

"Your master is right. Your guilt is misplaced." The masked fighter added, calm reason supporting Metamura's outrage. "The technique I used is called the Spirit Wave. It is one of the five great attacks by trial and is powered by your own spirit energy." I thought back to the glowing gold mist I'd been surrounded by while I was unconscious. That would explain its warmth and familiarity. "If your souls are corrupt, then the wickedness will take your life. But if you are pure of heart, then that purity consumes you, destroying any outside impediments. It was your souls that destroyed the veruki and freed you, not me. That proves you have nothing to hide."

My lips tugged downward to hear the masked fighter echo the same black-and-white approach of not-me from the trial, but I supposed I couldn't complain. My spirit energy must have decided I was 'pure of heart' enough to live, which was more than I could have hoped for.

"En, Ryo, Kai, she says what I've known all along," Metamura reassured his students. "If there was anything you could have done to prevent those kills, you would have!"

The boys were all crying now openly now. I averted my eyes, feeling like I was intruding on a private moment. "Your bodies were taken over, but who you really are, your souls, are still clean. I see you now in the same way I always have: as my three most noble students." Metamura said, looking teary himself. "Let's put this behind us!"

At this the boys relented and turned to embrace Metamura, sobbing outright. I stood off to the side, not knowing what to do with myself. I tried to put my hands in my pockets, but remembered too late I was dressed in a plain gi. No pockets. I swiped my hands over my thighs and sighed.

"What's the matter?" Yusuke said, spotting me standing at a distance from the four. "You're not gonna get in on the reunion?"

"Uh." How awkward. No, Yusuke, I'm actually the estranged cousin you never knew about. How about a hug, cuz? "I don't know Master Metamura." Glancing around the ring for a change of subject, I frowned. "What happened to Ichigaki?"

Yusuke smiled darkly. "I did." He pointed to a pile of rubble high up in the stands. I squinted at it, and couldn't help feeling disappointed that I hadn't at least been able to watch him get pummeled. At least he was finally dead, though. There was no way he could have survived being knocked up there like that, let alone the collapse of the stands. "And whaddaya mean you don't know Metamura? I thought you guys were his students."

"Um." I really did not want to explain this to him. Luckily, I didn't have to. Yusuke's teammates, the ones who'd arrived with the giant robot, stepped forward. The one in black spoke.

"The girl is your cousin, detective," he said bluntly. "The mad doctor was so obsessed with your 'superior' genetics that he sought out the closest thing he could get his hands on." The derisive tone in his voice suggested that he had a very different opinion about the quality of Yusuke's genetics.

Yusuke stared at his teammate with narrowed eyes, like he was trying to figure out if he was joking. The man in black regarded him blandly, and Yusuke began to shake his head slowly. "That can't be right. I don't even have cousins."

"In fact, you do," said Yusuke's other teammate, the one with red hair. He spoke carefully, voice calm. "Her mother is your mother's estranged sister. M5 explained it all."

"What, for real?" Yusuke turned away from his teammates to stare at me seemingly looking for confirmation. Hesitantly, I nodded. Yusuke's eyes widened, and he spun back to his teammates, voice rising. "Well then, why didn't you tell me before? I coulda killed her!"

There was a long beat of silence. The redhead straightened minutely and the one in black glanced away. Their silent communication when they had arrived in the arena made more sense, now.

"Well?" Yusuke was still waiting. Either he hadn't spotted his teammate's body language, or he didn't know how to interpret it.

The redhead finally broke the silence. "I thought it was best to wait, just in case."

Now Yusuke got it. "In case I had to kill her, you mean." Yusuke's voice had dropped low, and he took a single, menacing step toward his teammate. "And what if I did, huh?! Were you even gonna tell me?!"

"Wow, folks! Just when you thought that last match couldn't get any more dramatic!" Koto's eyes were practically sparkling as she watched Yusuke, whose hand was twitching like he was seriously considering decking his teammate. "It looks like Nana from the Ichigaki team is Yusuke's long-lost cousin—and his own teammates kept the information from him in case he had to kill her! Talk about a soap opera!"

"Do you ever shut up?"

The words had tumbled out without my permission. I'd gotten so used to screaming in my head and never saying a word that I wasn't used to my thoughts coming out of my mouth so easily.

Koto blinked at me in surprise and then backed away, smiling sheepishly. On the plus side, the surprise of me snapping at Koto seemed to have broken the tension between Yusuke and his teammate.

"Enough." The masked fighter said, approaching them. Her mask was back in place, hiding her face again. "Your teammates hid the truth from you because they knew you wouldn't have the guts to do what needed to be done if you knew. Luckily for all of you, no one actually had to die today."

Reluctantly, Yusuke stepped back from his teammate. I bowed low to the masked fighter.

"Thank you for that. I owe you my life."

"We all do," Ryo agreed, coming to stand next to me as I straightened. I glanced back to see En, Kai, and Master Metamura watching from the far side of the ring. Kai shot me a reassuring smile. "Please, allow me to atone. We injured Kuwabara—let me take his place on your team!"

Yusuke didn't hesitate. "Thanks for the offer, but no." He held up a hand as Ryo opened his mouth to argue. "We don't get a replacement fighter unless one of us dies, and Kuwabara's still kicking. Besides, he'd be pissed if I just gave his spot away." Yusuke smiled reassuringly at Ryo, previous anger forgotten for the moment. "You just take care of your master."

Ryo hesitated, but finally nodded. "I will." He turned to walk back to Kai, En, and Master Metamura, but stopped, turning his eyes to me. "Coming, Ren?"

That was a good question. I felt unmoored. Did I follow my friends, who'd been with me through so much, and were finally themselves again? Or did I follow my cousin? Would Yusuke even want me around? What did I do now?

Bells chimed while I hesitated. "May I have your attention, please!" Called a voice from the loud speaker. "The third round of the Dark Tournament will begin immediately. Furthermore, the committee has unanimously decided to begin the match in accordance to the match diagram, starting from the left."

The screens on the stadium displayed a ridiculously lopsided roster match-up that was most certainly not in Team Urameshi's favor. "Team Urameshi and Team Masho, please report to the ring."

"Are they trying to kill you?" I asked Yusuke, unthinking.

Yusuke and his team looked grim. "That is the general idea, yes," said the redhead.

Yusuke stomped off to hassle Koto for an explanation, and the redhead followed, attempting to stop Yusuke from wringing her neck.

At least the turn of events had helped me make a decision, though.

"You go on," I told Ryo quietly. "I'll meet you at the hotel later. I won't be able to rest until I've seen how this match turns out."

Ryo glanced uncertainly between me and En, Kai, and Master Metatura, looking torn. "I'll stay with you, then. En and Kai can take Master Metamura back to the hotel. You shouldn't be alone."

"You three have finally been reunited with your master," I said, gently. "You should be with him."

Ryo still looked conflicted. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'll be fine, Ryo. Go."

Ryo looked at me searchingly, then finally nodded. "Alright. But come straight back to the hotel afterward, okay? Don't go wandering the island alone, and stay close to Team Urameshi."

"I will." On impulse, I hugged Ryo tightly again. Because I could. Because it felt good to embrace my friend, to touch another human with affection instead of violence. Ryo hugged me back, just as tightly. "See you soon."

My friends left the arena, and I hopped out of the ring to see how badly we'd injured Kuwabara.

The blue-haired woman jumped at my appearance, laughing a little nervously. "Oh, hello!"

"So you're Urameshi's cousin, huh?" Kuwabara asked, leaning heavily on the woman's shoulder. His breathing sounded like it took a lot of effort. "Well, you sure hit about as hard as he does…"

I winced. "Sorry. How are you holding up?"

Kuwabara straightened, though the movement must have hurt, judging by the way his face paled. "Ah, this is nothin'. I'm just layin' down because Hiei and Kurama have been lazy today." Kuwabara forced a laugh. "I bet they thought they could just make us do all the work. Well, now it's their turn to fight."

"Right." I nodded slowly, then turned to the blue-haired woman. "How is he really doing?"

Kuwabara wheezed a protest as the woman rolled her eyes. "Not well." She shot a reprimanding look at Kuwabara to stifle any further denials. "It's nothing life-threatening, but he's clearly going to need time to recover."

"Team Masho, this is your final call! Enter or be disqualified!" Koto announced.

I hoped for a moment that the other team simply wouldn't show up, but it was in vain. A massive, swirling tornado appeared within the ring, whipping my hair about my face before the wind abated and five hulking figures in dark cloaks revealed themselves opposite Yusuke and the redhead. The masked fighter and the man in black stood at the edge of the ring, waiting.

"Team captains, decide the terms of battle!"

Yusuke folded his arms as the cloaked figures apparently deliberated. Finally one of the figures pulled of its cloak, revealing a demon with pointed ears and a single horn that protruded from a mane of wild red hair.

The demon strode forward and rambled a rush of such heavily accented words that I couldn't understand a thing he'd said. Judging by the blank look on Yusuke's face, he hadn't understood him, either, but still he said to Koto, "Whatever he said."

"Moron." I muttered. Kuwabara made a small choking noise, but I couldn't tell if it was shock or laughter. I raised my voice so Yusuke would be able to hear me in the ring. "Know what you're agreeing to before you say yes!"

Yusuke glanced over his shoulder at me and shrugged, entirely unapologetic, as Koto translated for the stadium. "Jin has asked for a series of one-on-one matches with the advancing team taking five wins, and Yusuke gives the nod!"

The stadium bells chimed again. I glanced up at the scoreboard anxiously. The last time an announcement was made, Yusuke's team was forced to fight two matches in a row. Another announcement so soon didn't bode well.

"May I have your attention, please. The tournament committee will be instituting a medical examination before the next round. Due to the Urameshi team fighting without rest, and in accordance to section 13 of the tournament index, report to the medical tent."

That... actually sounded like it would help. Which, since the committee was apparently trying to kill Yusuke, made me immediately suspicious. My misgivings only multiplied when, as the four members of Team Urameshi who were capable of walking made their way to the medical tent, I spied the woman who strolled out of it.

She was incredibly busty, with long red hair and a hemline which had my eyebrows climbing toward my hairline. She dismissed Yusuke and the redhead, and Kuwabara entirely, pointing instead to the masked fighter and the man in black. She ordered them to the medical tent over their protests, ignoring Kuwabara completely.

"Should we drag him over?" I asked the blue-haired woman uncertainly. If the nurse wouldn't come to Kuwabara, we should try to bring him to the medical tent, right? But before she could answer, raised voices erupted from the direction of the tent.

The medical tent had been surrounded with a crackling force field, trapping the man in black and the masked fighter inside. The man's red eyes (demon, my mind whispered) were glaring holes in the back of the nurse's head, marking her as the culprit.

"Hey, redhead!" Yusuke shouted. "Why do I get the feeling you're not a licensed nurse!"

"That's correct, Yusuke." My mouth dropped open at the same time as Yusuke's as the woman shed her dress. Underneath she wore nothing but golden cords wrapped around her bust and hips, just barely covering her. "Enchantress is more like it. Ruka is my name, the most talented creature alive in spell defense incantations."

"Spell defense?" Kuwabara repeated, craning his neck to try to see what was happening. "What's she talkin' about?"

"It's a different way to manipulate energy," the blue-haired woman explained, speaking up so Yusuke could hear her in the ring. "She doesn't have any attack powers, but her defense is so top-notch that nothing can break through her force field."

There was a note of tension in the woman's voice, and I tensed at the sound of it, too. So two of Team Urameshi's fighters were trapped, and a third was injured? How were they supposed to fight?

"Give me my damn team back!" Yusuke growled.

Ruka smirked and cocked her hip, unconcerned. "Didn't you hear the announcement, Yusuke? They're both very sick. They're going to need a little time to recover."

The irritatingly calm voice of the committee representative droned over the loudspeaker. "As a result of the medical examination, Hiei and the masked fighter have been ruled unfit to fight. They will sit out for the duration of the round while they are suitably treated."

"So it's Yusuke and Red against five demons," I said grimly. "They're not even trying to be subtle."

"Kurama," The blue-haired woman corrected absently. Then, desperately, "Can't you help? Each team is allowed an alternate, right?"

I shook my head, repeating what Yusuke had said earlier. "Alternates are only allowed to step in if a team member dies. Even if it was allowed, I'm sure the committee would find some loophole to disqualify me."

Yusuke looked about ready to punch Koto, but Kurama pulled him aside and talked to him in hushed tones. Whatever he said seemed to reassure Yusuke somewhat, because his shoulders relaxed some and he stopped shooting daggers at Koto with his eyes.

Jin, the incomprehensible redhead from Team Masho, appeared equally unhappy with the arrangement, strolling out of the ring and muttering, "Somebody else go."

The member of Team Masho who climbed into the ring first was a lanky, thin demon with pallid blue-gray skin, and pointed ears, teeth, and claws. He wore very little—just a bandana on his head and a loincloth of draped fabric.

Yusuke made to enter the ring, but Kurama stepped forward first. They exchanged a few more quiet words before Yusuke reluctantly left the ring. Yusuke quietly relayed Kurama's plan to take on as many demons as he could before Yusuke would take over the fighting as Koto began the fight between Kurama and Gama, the master of disguise.

Two against five, with five wins needed to advance to the next round, were not good odds. I looked down at Kuwabara, considering. I couldn't fight for Team Urameshi, but I wasn't completely useless.

I turned to Kuwabara, catching his eye. "Listen. I got pretty good at accelerating my own healing. I've never tried it on another person before, but I could give it a try, if you want."

Kuwabara only took a second to think before nodding. "Yeah, okay."

"Kuwabara, are you sure?" The woman asked. She glanced uncertainly at the scorch marks my energy had left in the ring.

Kuwabara nodded firmly. Not looking away from me, he told the woman, "I trust her, Botan."

Tears pricked at my eyes and my breath shuddered, just for a moment. That this kid could trust me to help him, after I'd done this to him in the first place…

I sighed out a breath and lay my hands on Kuwabara's face and heart gently, sinking into the familiar meditative state that accompanied my healing trances. The roar of the crowd blurred and quieted and I let my eyes slide closed, focusing only on my energy and Kuwabara's.

His energy was already working to heal himself. All I had to do was help it along. It took a few moments and several long, deep breaths, but slowly, gently, I was able to coax my energy to start trickling into Kuwabara's body. I sank deeper, focusing only on the energy, and let it absorb my whole focus.

I jolted horribly when Kuwabara pulled away, breaking the connection. I blinked rapidly, disoriented, and tried to figure out what was going on.

"A fighter standing in the ring cannot be removed against his will," said a voice from the loudspeaker. "As will cannot be determined here, the fighter remains."

"What?" I turned to the ring. Kurama was standing with his head down against his chest, very still. Some muscular demon stood on the other side of the ring, looking smug.

"Kurama's unconscious on his feet and they're trying to make him fight!" Botan cried.

"He'll be killed!" Kuwabara said, straining to sit up.

"A fighter standing in the ring cannot be removed against his will?" I repeated slowly, brow furrowing. There had to be a loophole in there somewhere. "A fighter standing in the ring—"

I jostled Kuwabara with my sudden movement as I yanked off my shoe. Botan yelped in surprise, steadying him.

"What on earth are you—"

I didn't take the time to explain. I lobbed my shoe at Kurama.

Time seemed to slow as it sailed through the air. It felt like minutes before the shoe landed, bouncing off Kurama's red hair and falling to the floor of the ring with a soft plop. Koto and the demon from the opposing team stared as Kurama wobbled and swayed—and then, mercifully, fell on his face.

The stadium was quiet, the roar of the crowd replaced with a confused hush.

"Would you look at that," I said into the unnatural silence. "He's not standing anymore. Yusuke, you'd better get him out of the ring."

Yusuke grinned like a shark and went to fetch Kurama. The opposing demon snarled. "She can't do that!" He jabbed a furious finger in my direction. "That's outside interference!"

"Kurama is on the ground," Koto said uncertainly. "And he's clearly out for the count."

The loudspeaker crackled back to life. "The fighter may be removed from the ring, but the match of Kurama vs. Bakken is ruled a loss by forfeit."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Yusuke muttered. He set Kurama gently on the grass next to Botan and clapped an approving hand on my shoulder. "Nice aim."

"Toss me my shoe when you go back up there, would you?"

Yusuke grinned as he stood, and it was a sharp, dangerous look. "Sure thing."

"You hit him… with a shoe," Botan said, still sounding shocked. I caught the offending object as Yusuke chucked it out of the ring and slipped it back on my foot. I glanced at Kurama, laying still on the ground. Even unconscious he looked pained—probably because of the plant that was sticking out of his arm.

"I figured the demon would hit him harder." Pointing at the plant, I asked, "Is that normal?"

"Sort of," Botan said, eyeing the plant cautiously. "Kurama can control plants, be he doesn't usually plant them in his veins. I wouldn't touch it, though, it might be dangerous. We'll just have to hope he can take care of it himself when he wakes up."

"If you say so." I shrugged, captured one of Kuwabara's hands between my own, and fell back into my healing trance.

When I surfaced again, it felt like hours had passed. Kuwabara had pulled away again, and seemed to be trying to use the wall of the stadium to lever himself up into a standing position. I blinked tiredly, jaw cracking in a yawn as I looked around. Taking in the recent destruction to the stadium, and Yusuke standing in the ring, I asked groggily, "Did we win?"

"We're about to lose!" Botan cried, eyes wide with panic. Kurama, now awake, was propped upright at her side. He looked grim. "Yusuke beat Jin, but the committee ruled it a double loss. We don't have any fighters left!"

In the ring, Koto didn't look pleased. Grudgingly, she said, "Due to Yusuke's ineligibility and as there are no other members on his team available to fight, and as Team Masho still has a competitor, by forfeit the winner of the round is—"

"Wait right there!" Kuwabara straightened, pushing off the wall and pulling of his shirt dramatically. "We've still got one more fighter on our team! Let's go!"

I stared at the kid's battered, bruised body. Still drowsy, it took me a long moment to realize that Kuwabara meant himself.

"That is not a good idea," I informed him, slurring a little. Kuwabara didn't seem to hear me. He was striding determinedly toward the ring, but the dramatic effect was lessened by the fact that he was wobbling and staggering as he went.

"The boy can barely walk!" Botan protested. She scrambled to get up. "Hold him, would you?" She said to me, and I just managed not to fall over as she leaned Kurama against my side so she could get up. She jogged off, voice rising as she called, "As the team trainer, I must say this is a ridiculous idea!"

Sighing, I scooted backwards so that both Kurama and I could lean against the stadium wall, rather than each other. Kurama glanced at me curiously when we'd settled.

"How are his injuries, after your efforts?"

I sighed heavily, closing my eyes as I pictured the glittering network of energy that was Kuwabara's body as I worked to speed his healing. "They're significantly improved, but considering how he started, that's not saying much. Bones that were broken are probably just cracked or bruised now, and he's not bleeding internally anymore, but he's nowhere near healed, and fighting won't help him any."

Kurama hummed thoughtfully, turning back to the ring to give Kuwabara a measuring look. I paused as I remembered that the last time I'd seen Kurama, he'd been unconscious and a plant had been growing out of his arm. Glancing down, I saw that the plant was still very much present. "How are your injuries?"

Kurama huffed a breath, a small almost-laugh, glancing down at the carnage in his arm. "It looks worse than it is. I'll be able to remove the Death Plant, in time."

"You know, that would've been a lot more reassuring if you hadn't called it a Death Plant."

In front of us, Kuwabara had managed to lever himself into the ring and was trying to make his case. "Remember, that lady from the medical tent took Hiei and the masked fighter but said I was okay!"

"Stupid, 'cause she's not a nurse!" Yusuke shot back.

"Don't confuse the issue, the point here is that I'm still eligible to fight and I'm the only one!" Kuwabara bit back.

"Yes, but 'eligible' and 'able' are two different words," the man in black—Hiei, apparently—snarked from the medical tent. Kuwabara bristled in anger.

"You shut up, shrimp!" He took a threatening step in the direction of the medical tent, but hissed in pain and clutched his ribs when he tried to lift an arm.

"See? You're in no shape!" Yusuke cried.

"I'm going, Urameshi, unless you want to kill me yourself!" Kuwabara gritted out stubbornly. "I know these guys are cheating us, and I know you're angry. Heck, I know what happens if we lose! But if you and Hiei go on some tirade destroying people until you get your way, you'll be just like them. Let's win this thing clean. Like—"

"Like men," Yusuke finished seriously. Kuwabara smiled.

"And we men go down with honor," Kuwabara said seriously, dragging heavy feet to the center of the ring.

Yusuke hopped down from the ring with a lingering glance behind him. I watched with eyes at half-mast, a frown tugging at my lips. "How old is Kuwabara, anyway?"

Kurama shifted in the corner of my eye, then answered evenly, "I believe he's the same age as Yusuke. 14, perhaps 15 now."

For a moment, the boy in the ring was replaced by a young girl with her hair in pigtails, smiling innocently. So young.

I realized I'd said it out loud when Kurama responded, quietly, "It's dismal, but at least it will buy us time to consider our options."

Dismal was a bit of an understatement, in my opinion. "I've had enough of dead kids," I said, clenching my hands into fists. "If I'd conserved my energy I could've helped." Not that I would have been allowed, of course. This whole thing was just ridiculous.

"If you'd conserved your energy, Kuwabara wouldn't have a chance," Kurama said certainly. "If Kuwabara manages to survive this, he'll have you to thank." That he used the word if was not reassuring.

"Well, he's defied death once today," I pointed out, a half-hearted attempt at optimism. "Maybe his luck will hold out."

Koto began the match, and Kuwabara charged forward, goaded by his opponent, Risho's, taunts. Kuwabara formed his spirit sword, but it hardly even brushed Risho before it flickered and died out. Risho, in retaliation, delivered a kick to Kuwabara's back that sent him rolling. I winced.

That beginning set the tone for the fight. Risha landed blow after blow, taunting Kuwabara. Kuwabara could hardly fight back, his spirit energy still so focused on healing himself that he was unable to manifest his weapon. Meanwhile, in the medical tent, Hiei's energy writhed and thrashed, threatening to snap Ruka's forcefield.

Kuwabara fell to the ground, and only just managed to pick himself up when Koto counted to 9. Risho, perhaps getting impatient with Kuwabara's continued perseverance, stepped out of the ring. I was confused for just a moment, but then the earth of the stadium shook and Risho climbed back into the ring, covered in armor made from the dirt and rocks of the stadium. Risho launched himself at Kuwabara and hit him directly in his injured ribs.

Blood sprayed from Kuwabara's mouth at the hit, and I just knew that all his barely healed ribs were broken again. Still, despite the hit, Kuwabara pushed himself up from the ground before Koto could complete the ten count, again and again.

"Why don't you quit?" Risho demanded angrily and Kuwabara pushed himself up once more.

Kuwabara let out a pained chuckle. "Dummy. Guess you haven't checked the score for this round lately! We've got four wins. You've only got two, and the first team to five advances. Urameshi and Kurama gave their all for us, and I still have a way to bring it home for 'em!"

"He's going... to kill himself." Hiei said it quietly, but the words carried. I jolted, looking from Hiei to Kurama, who looked unsurprised by the words.

"What does he mean?" I demanded, panic tightening my chest and tears gathering in my eyes.

No more dead children. Please, no more dead children.

"With his spirit energy inaccessible, Kuwabara intends to use his life energy to fight Risho," Kurama explained quietly, sounding somber but resigned.

Risho didn't look concerned. "Using your life energy will only delay this. You're still going to die."

"No joke, moron." 14, perhaps 15 now. Kurama's words echoed in my mind. Another kid was going to die in front of me, and I couldn't do anything. That this time it wouldn't be my hands ending the life barely made a difference. "That's the whole point of this fight, as long as I take you with me! If this fight ends in a draw, my team wins and the rest of my guys get to live!"

Kuwabara turned from Risho to glance over at his teammates.

"Hiei, you're a little punk and you always said mean stuff to me, but I know underneath all that junk you're a good guy. Kurama, you taught me a lot with the things you said. There's nobody more caring than you. Mummy fighter person, you saved those guys from Doctor Ichigaki, and that means a lot. You didn't say much, but somehow I really feel like I know you. Ren, you did your best to help us even after we almost killed you, and you probably saved Kurama's life. I know that Doctor made you do some bad things, but I know you're still a good person." Kurama inhaled sharply. The tears I'd been trying to hold back slid down my face. "And Urameshi, well... just take care of the rest of this, okay?"

"Don't you do this!" Yusuke's voice was choked with tears.

Kuwabara tried to act casual about walking to his death. "Let's not get too emotional, Urameshi, I wanna keep my finish nice and manly!" He chuckled. "You ready, Risho?"

Risho launched himself at Kuwabara once more, and Kuwabara braced himself while guarding against the brunt of the attack with his arms. A quiet cry from the stands had Kuwabara craning his neck around lightning-fast, though, and he shouted, "Hey, wait! She's really here!"

"What on earth are you babbling about now?" Risho demanded.

Kuwabara, thoroughly distracted, punched Risho in the face with enough force to send him skidding out of the ring. I stared, shocked at the sudden, unexpected show of strength.

"I'm not babbling, she's my girlfriend!" Kuwabara skipped out of the ring excitedly, approaching the stands with a levity completely unwarranted for someone with so many broken ribs. "There's only one person who calls me by my first name!"

I stared in disbelief as Kuwabara ran over to a small gaggle of girls standing at a railing just above the ring, posing and trying to look cool. The turn was such an abrupt about-face from the tearful goodbyes that had taken place a minute ago that I felt numb. "...What just happened?"

Kurama's shoulders shook with quiet laughter. When he spoke, his voice was laced with relief and amusement. "Kuwabara is rather smitten with Yukina. I'd say her unexpected appearance here has given him a second wind."

Risho attempted to attack Kuwabara again while he fawned over his girlfriend, but Kuwabara manifested his spirit sword with no trouble this time and struck Risho forcefully. The demon's armor dissolved, and Kuwabara wound his sword up like a bat before knocking him into the upper stands of the stadium like a baseball. Koto had been counting while Kuwabara was out of the ring, and he hastily scrambled back into it, just in time to win the match.