A/N

Oh man, how long has it been since I've updated? Yes, I know, it's been quite a while and I do apologize. I guess…I don't know, what with my exams finishing, and just…getting used to the free time and stuff, I guess that kind of made me…lazy?

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed and who I didn't get to thank before. Hope you haven't lost interest in this fic.

I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I'm using bits and pieces from both the manga and the anime versions of 'Flame of Recca'. Which is why I included the bit about Kurei being present before the Hokage started their semi-final round –which does take place in the anime, but not in the manga. And a few other bits too…hope everyone's okay with that!

Well…that's about it. On to the chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

Confused Thoughts:

"Alright, everyone, this is it." Recca paused, taking his time to stare at each of his Hokage teammates. "The last hurdle; if we get through this…well, I'm sure I don't need to tell you what'll happen."

Domon shook his head as he cracked his knuckles. "Let's not think that far, Hanabishi," he cautioned. "We should just worry about getting through this round."

"Was it just me, or did Domon just say something that…has a point?" questioned Fuuko, as she tugged at the bottom of the sleeveless top that she wore. Yanagi giggled as she caught the injured look that the big-made boy sent the Fuujin-wielder.

"Who will be taking part in this round?" questioned Mikagami, quietly. "The opposing team has four fighters, whereas we have five." The five Hokage fighters glanced at each other, surprised that they hadn't thought of that before.

It was Recca, it seemed, who came up with the quickest decision. And Fuuko didn't like the way he glanced at her before turning to answer Mikagami.

"It's simple," he said, quickly. "Fuuko-"

"-Will be fighting this time," interrupted Fuuko, earning herself a glare from her best-friend. "Don't look at me like that. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to be fighting."

Recca scowled. "Fuuko I don't think-"

"-I don't care, Recca; get that into your head," snapped Fuuko. She turned her attention back to Mikagami. "So, Mi-chan, the question is…who will be staying away from taking part in this round?"

Mikagami stared at her for a moment, before shrugging. "Sort it out amongst yourselves, I don't really care." Recca did not glare at his long-haired teammate, as he usually would have done. He was more content with scowling at Fuuko.

"Listen, Fuuko, you're still recovering from-" the brunette whirled around to face him, "-whatever it was that Kurei did to you at the Uruha mansion-"

"-For the love of god, Recca, he didn't do anything to me!" exclaimed Fuuko, a scowl forming on her own face. "What am I going to have to do to make you understand that?!"

"It's Kurei, Fuuko. How can you honestly expect me to believe that he didn't do anything to you while you were there? Heck, we don't even know how you ended up in the Uruha mansion in the first place. It had to have been Kurei, who planned it all so that we would-"

"-Why are you jumping to conclusions like this?! When you don't even know-" Kagero stepped in between the heavily scowling pair, clearing her throat as she did so.

"That's enough, Recca, Fuuko," she said, shooting them both stern glances.

"But Kachan-"

"-I said that's enough, Recca," interrupted Kagero, a stern edge entering her voice. "I do not think that any of us are in the mood to tolerate any more of this foolish bickering. We've had enough bickering when you and Mikagami-kun were at odds before, so just…spare us." Shifting her gaze to Mikagami, Kagero gave him a brisk nod. "To answer your question, Mikagami-kun, I would say that it's up to you to decide who stays out of this round," she glanced pointedly in the direction of her son. "But since you don't seem capable of doing that, I'll make the decision myself."

Recca shook his head. "Kachan, you don't understand, I don't want Fuuko to-"

"-Fuuko is not some porcelain doll who you can keep protected all the time, Recca," insisted Kagero, sharply. "Unlike Yanagi-chan, Fuuko fights. She is one of our strongest fighters, so I do not think that there is a need for you to always be…shielding her from battles." She sighed. "Domon-kun, Mikagami-kun…which one of you would like to stay out of this round?"

"Eh???!" exclaimed Domon, his eyes going wide. "Me???" Mikagami looked a little bit surprised as well.

"…Why does it have to be one of us?" he questioned, slowly.

"Recca has to take part since he is the leader of Hokage," explained Kagero, "And Fuuko hasn't had a fight since…well, her first round match with Fujimaru-"

"-And that wasn't exactly a proper fight," muttered Fuuko.

"Koganei didn't take part in the earlier round, so I feel that he should do so in this," finished Kagero, sighing at the interruption. "You, Mikagami-kun, have taken part in each of the three rounds we have had so far…and Domon-kun has two matches under his belt. So it's only fair if one of you sits out this round."

Domon shook his head. "Not me, Kagero-sama!" he protested vehemently. "I only have one match under my belt, the one in the first round. In case you've forgotten, the match against Aki that I won, well, I was disqualified, wasn't I?" He shot Recca and Mikagami dark looks. "When I went to save their sorry asses?"

"Ah." Kagero looked thoughtful for a moment. "He's right…" She glanced apologetically at Mikagami. "Mikagami-kun…?"

The wielder of the Ensui was quiet for a while, before he shrugged.

"Whatever," he said. "I'll stay out of this round." But he didn't look very pleased about it.

"That's good," started Yanagi softly, as she moved to stand beside the long-haired male. "That way, you can be well-rested if we enter the finals…ne, Mikagami-sempai?" Once again, Mikagami's displeased expression softened as he stared down at the…mirror image of his sister.

"…Hai," he muttered, for her to hear. Yanagi rewarded him with a big smile –which Recca didn't seem to find amusing.

"I thought I told you to stay away from-"

"-Can we just get on with this?" questioned Koganei, who had remained quiet while the rest of the team had had their discussion. Kagero shot him a quick smile.

"Koganei-kun's right; we should get going." She motioned everyone to the door that led out into the ring. "Good luck, minna." Recca, who had taken a few steps forward, stopped as he listened to his mother.

"Eh? Aren't you coming with us, Kachan?" Kagero shook her head, looking a little bit sheepish.

"Iie," she said, "I…was asked to be the co-commentator for this round…" She sweat-dropped as she saw the expression on her son's face. "Never mind me, Recca, go."

"Hai!" She watched as the team had entered the ring, a semi-worried expression on her face. They had all seen what their opponents were capable of doing, and, although she hadn't mentioned it in fear of demoralizing them or appearing pessimistic, she was worried about the outcome of this round.

Just do your best, everyone…

The roars from the crowd were deafening as Team Hokage walked into the arena, although this time, there were quite a lot of people who 'booed' them, clearly favoring Uruha Ma's chances at winning the semi-final round.

"Mou, couldn't you have gotten us better seats?" moaned a fair-haired male, from where he and his comrades were seated at the very back of the arena.

One of his comrades shrugged. "Sorry, but this was the best that I could do," he said, apologetically.

"It doesn't matter," added another male, "It's not like this is going to be anything worthwhile anyway…Uruha Ma's definitely going to win."

"What? How can you say that?"

"Have you seen Uruha Ma in action? They're bloody awesome!"

"And have you seen Hokage in action? They're not too shabby either!"

"Will the two of you just shut up?"

What none of the men saw was the dark-haired, masked figure standing behind them; the dark-haired, masked figure who was gazing intently at the ring, as Team Hokage awaited the entrance of Uruha Ma. He paid no attention to the men's conversation, as his thoughts were focused on the team…the team whose members desperately wanted to enter the final round, and, if possible, defeat his Uruha Kurenai.

He couldn't, no…he refused to be over-confident, or cocky enough to state that the Hokage didn't have a chance against Uruha Kurenai, should they end up meeting in the finals. It might be true, but he wasn't going to block out the possibility, slight though it was, of the Hokage causing a great upset and defeating him and his team.

This is your last test, Recca…your last chance to prove yourself worthy of facing Uruha Kurenai in the finals. Do you think that you can pull off a victory here?

Raucous laughter from the group of men in front of the masked man snapped him out of his thoughts as he automatically focused his attention on them.

"You think he's the most interesting person in the team? What about the chick…the brunette chick?"

"Huh? She doesn't fight, you idiot. I mean, yeah, she's cute and all, but she just…stays on the sidelines, yeah?"

"What? She doesn't –oh. No, you idiot, I mean the other brunette chick. The one who can kick ass!"

"Ahh…you mean the one who was stripped of her clothes –well, almost all of her clothes- in that first round match?"

"Yeah, her."

"Oh, she's hot."

The masked man didn't need to hear any more to figure out who exactly the fools were talking about. His eyes narrowed as he contemplated what they had said. 'The one who was stripped of her clothes…' It seemed that that was the way most people remembered the brown-haired Fuujin-wielder of the Hokage. True, that was the only match she had had so far in the tournament…but he would have thought that they'd remember her for her cool behaviour, and for ultimately taking control of the situation. Or even for sending the idiot from Ku flying with the super punch she had dealt out to him.

It almost seemed a pity that she was only remembered for what had happened to her clothes –or rather, for what had almost happened to her clothes. Ah, but then again, most of the spectators were perverted men, so it was only natural, wasn't it?

Not that I care, he told himself, mentally. If this had taken place a couple of days ago, perhaps before the Urabutousatsujin had even started…well, the usually dormant voice in his head would have stayed dormant, instead of correcting him, which it did, by saying, really? Are you sure that you don't care?

Of course he didn't care; the Fuujin wielder was nothing short of an annoying insect. Why else did she prey on his mind, making him wonder what she was up to? It wasn't his fault that she was interested in his past –and that she knew quite a lot about it too, which was something he'd like her to keep to herself, as opposed to telling any of her teammates. No, on the contrary, it was her fault. Why couldn't she just state her purpose behind…prying into his life? Why did she have to attempt to lie, to cover up, by just shrugging and saying that it was just because she was 'curious'?

More importantly, why was he even thinking about her at that moment? Hadn't he decided to 'drop in' for some other purpose, as opposed to dwelling on Hokage's sole female fighter?

Although, I do wonder...he frowned, Kirisawa Fuuko…will you be able to prove to these spectators that there is more to you than a near-perfect figure and womanly assets?

He froze almost immediately, as his mind registered the question he had formed in it. Near-perfect…figure? Womanly assets…? Snarling under his breath, he shot Team Hokage one last smoldering glare before abruptly turning on his heel and stalking away.

He had more important things to do, than wonder about frail, high-school girls.

Though, she is most certainly not as frail as…well, she's not 'frail' at all.

A curse slipped out of his mouth, and he quickened his pace.

"Where are they? Shouldn't they be here by now?" wondered Domon, as he and his friends stood in the ring only to find that no-one from Uruha Ma was present.

"Are they trying to go for a dramatic entrance?" mused Fuuko, glancing warily around the arena. "Because if they are…I just think it's a waste of time."

Yanagi nodded at her friend's comment, although she was unusually jumpy as well. "Maybe-" she stopped abruptly when she saw Recca stiffen, and clench his hands into fists. "-Recca-kun?" He didn't answer her; all he did was raise his head with his eyes narrowed threateningly. "Recca-kun…is something…wrong?"

Recca nodded, the dark expression never leaving his face. "He's here."

"Eh?" Yanagi looked a little worried. "Who's here, Recca-kun?"

"Kurei."

"H-here?" Now Yanagi was extremely worried, as she glanced nervously around her. It wasn't her fault that she was always unnaturally jumpy wherever the Uruha leader was concerned; her encounters with him hadn't exactly been pleasant after all.

As though sensing her unease, Recca turned to her with a smile on her face. "It's alright hime," he said, as reassuringly as he could. "It'll be okay. He won't be able to do anything to you. Not when I'm around." Yanagi shook her head, a small smile on her lips.

"I know he won't," she said, "If he did want to do anything like that, he'd have done it a long time ago…" She sighed. "But, I wonder, what's he doing here?"

Recca shrugged. "He's probably here to try and frighten us or something…" he snorted. "Like that's going to happen!" His face darkened once more. "He's lucky that he didn't do anything serious to Fuuko…or I'd have-"

"Recca-kun, don't start this again," admonished Yanagi, gently, as she laid her hand on the ninja's arm. "Fuuko-chan said that he didn't do anything to her, and I don't see why she would have lied to all of us."

"Yeah," muttered Recca, "But…haven't you noticed anything, hime? Haven't you noticed anything different about her?"

"About Fuuko-chan?" The ninja nodded, sneaking a glance at the Fuujin-wielder and finding her deep in conversation with Koganei and Domon, while Mikagami just stood by them shaking his head. "Iie, I can't say I have…why do you ask?"

Recca sighed. "I dunno, maybe it's just me, but…the last couple of days…she's been acting strange." He frowned. "Ever since Neon told us about Kurenai…"

"Recca-kun I don't think-"

"-No, hime, it's true…she's been going on about Kurei and how he's a good person…and all of that crap."

"Recca-kun, she hasn't been saying that," protested Yanagi. "She said that he can't be as bad as he…well, appears. And she made the valid point that we only know a part of who he is…and that we don't know what's happened to him before. "And she's only said it once; after the training session that you had the other day."

"But it's still the same thing! She's thinking about it, hime, don't you see what that means? She's thinking that he's a good person!"

"Recca-kun-"

"-And then, that whole…fiasco with her ending up in the Uruha mansion. I mean, she doesn't know how she ended up there, so obviously, he must've had her kidnapped. He's messing with her head, hime, trying to get her to crumble. And I don't like it."

"I don't think that Fuuko-chan's the type of person who'd just let anyone mess with her head, Recca-kun," put in Yanagi, reasonably.

"Yeah, well this is Kurei; who knows what methods he uses? I'm concerned about her, hime. She's my best-friend…kinda like a sister, you know?" Yanagi nodded. "And…if she…I dunno, turns against us, or gets injured –at his hands- before the finals, hime, there's every chance that we could lose you."

Yanagi turned pink as she listened to her ninja. She had never doubted the fact that he would do whatever he could to protect her –no, she knew that he would keep the promise that he had made. But now, she wasn't sure whether it was right. Wasn't all of this a heavy burden on his shoulders?

"Recca-kun-"

"And, presenting Team Hokage's opponents in this semi-final round," started the referee, catching everyone's attention, "Led by Magensha…I give you Uruha Ma!"

Domon, Koganei and Fuuko immediately halted their conversation, choosing to look straight ahead, at the opposite side of the large, oddly-designed ring that they were standing in. Mikagami simply stood where he was, a disinterested expression on his face, even as Recca and Yanagi strolled up to him.

"Let's hurry up and get this party started," said Fuuko, with a grin, just as the first few members of Uruha Ma revealed themselves.

"Yeah, I've been itching to kick some butt for a long time!" exclaimed Koganei, grinning up at Fuuko. Ever since their encounter the night before, when he had accidentally blurted out to the older girl what was nagging at his conscience, he seemed to be closer to her. And Fuuko didn't seem to mind it.

"Magensha's mine!" yelled Domon, as he raised his fist in the air…only to end up with his face on the ground as Recca kicked him from behind.

"You idiot! Magensha's the leader –I'm taking him on!"

"Nani?! There's no such rule!"

"Yes there is baka!"

"But-"

"-Anyway, let's just…decide this as we go along, alright?" suggested Fuuko. Yanagi nodded hurriedly, in fear of another argument breaking out amongst the team.

"Humph, fine, whatever…" acquiesced Domon, just as Recca nodded. Yanagi sighed in relief just as the referee bounded over to them to start of the semi-final round.

"Ganbatte, minna…"

A little while later:

"It seems that team Hokage is not as weak as we expected…" commented Mikoto, as she stared up at the giant screen in the waiting room she and the rest of the fighters on team Uruha Kurenai were staying in, until they could start their own semi-final.

Kai grunted. "If they were as weak as you expected, Mikoto, they wouldn't have made it to the semi-finals, would they?"

"I wasn't talking to you," snapped Mikoto, with a dark scowl on her face.

"But you were talking. Perhaps you should keep your comments to yourself from now onwards."

"Maybe you shouldn't butt in when-"

"Enough." At the sound of the cold voice of their leader, the two Jyushinshuu members snapped their mouths shut at once.

An awkward silence settled in the room as its occupants stared at the screen. The third match of the semi-final round had started; Kirisawa Fuuko of the Hokage versus Gashakura of Uruha Ma.

Mikoto's lips curved up in a cruel smile when, after a few minutes, Gashakura revealed his madougu to the female fighter. Having associated with the man, albeit briefly, she knew that he was a strong and capable fighter –heck, the only reason why he wasn't a part of the Jyushinshuu itself was because all 10 places in that rank were already taken. Speaking of which…she glanced briefly at her master's back, Now that Jisho's dead, there is a free space in the Jyushinshuu. I wonder if Kurei-sama will welcome Gashakura into the Jyushinshuu…?

"Yo, minna-han! Did you miss me?" Mikoto fought back the curse that threatened to escape her lips when she heard the familiar, cheerful voice, as its owner entered the room.

"Why are you here?"

"What's this? Not pleased to see me, Kurei-han?"

"Joker…"

"Ahaha, gomen, gomen," said Joker, holding his hands up in defense. "I just thought I'd drop by. Was that wrong?"

"The plan, Joker, was-"

"-Hai, hai, no-one knows who I am. At least not yet, Kurei-han," interrupted Joker, sounding as cheerful as ever.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop in and see if you needed any help, Kurei-han…" Joker paused. "I mean, Raiha-han won't exactly be easy to defeat, so-"

"-Your concern is unnecessary," cut in Kurei, as he turned to face his teammate for the first time. "Go back to whatever you were doing. And do I have to repeat myself about keeping your true identity hidden?" Joker shook his head. "Good. Now leave. We have ---" Kurei's voice trailed off as he glanced lazily back at the large screen.

At the same time:

"I admire your courage, Fuuko-san," commented Gashakura, actually sounding as though he meant it too. "But this match ends here!"

Fuuko glared at him, anticipating his next move. Just as he moved towards her, she raised up her right hand. "Fuujin; Kamaitachi!" she called, as she hurled a gust of wind at the approaching man. Succeeding in delaying his madougu's spider-like arms, she sped forward. "I think not!" she exclaimed, as she approached Gashakura.

What she hadn't anticipated was for him to allow her to get closer to him, before pulling back his large fist and striking her hard in the stomach. The stomach that was already badly bruised due to the events that had taken place in the Uruha mansion.

"Fuuko!" yelled Domon, as he watched his friend being hurled back a couple of feet, all in midair. "Dammit, he's just too-" he was cut off by a sudden, whirring noise that seemed to come from within the ring itself. "What?"

As everyone watched on, the four pillars that stood at the four corners of the ring started to give off a yellow glow. The audience started to murmur in a mixture of fear and surprise as the glow increased, forming a sort of barrier around the ring. It wasn't until the Fuujin-wielder hit the barrier that they realized what exactly it was.

Fuuko's eyes widened as her back came into contact with the electric barrier. "Gyaaaaaaaaah!!" A moment later, she fell limply to the ground.

"Nani-?" muttered Gashakura, just as surprised as everyone else.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Recca, his eyes widening. It was Kagero, who had long since left the commentator's-box, who pieced things together first.

"It's an electric fence!" she gasped, "Covering the entire ring." As the crowd started jeering at the referee, she looked towards her fellow zodiac-friends for help. They hadn't prepared for anything like this…what was she supposed to do?

"Ano, well…this is…" she paused, stammering. "I don't know what's going on, okay? So stop asking me to do something about this!"

It was at that moment that a voice suddenly boomed through hidden speakers. It was an authoritative voice…and was one that Recca recognized immediately, from the 'opening ceremony' of the Urabutousatsujin.

"This match will continue within the area enclosed by the electric fence." The yellow-haired referee looked up at where she thought the speakers were, her eyes widening.

"Demo, Mori-sama-"

"-If any of the fighters try and leave the enclosed area, they will automatically be disqualified. Now carry on with it; I expect to see a more interesting match from this point onwards." The speakers went blank at that, and it was obvious that the speaker wasn't going to listen to anyone's protests.

Recca clenched his hands into fists as the crowd started its murmuring once more. "Mori…Koran…" Placing a warning hand on his shoulder, Kagero turned back to the ring, where Fuuko was starting to pull herself to her feet.

"Gashakura, what're you waiting for? This is your chance. Get rid of Kirisawa Fuuko at once!" ordered Magensha, from the sidelines. Gashakura, who had remained quiet during all of this, turned to glance at his brother.

"But…it's…it is not a fair fight anymore…" he protested.

"It doesn't matter!" exclaimed Magensha, with authority. "What matters is defeating the Hokage…and we'll be getting closer to that achievement once you finish off Fuuko. Do it. Mori-sama has been kind enough to give us this bit of help, so don't waste it."

"But-"

"-Gashakura, do as you're told! Or do you want to end up like Tsukeshiro and Kashemaru?" Gashakura stiffened at his brother's words. "Good. I didn't think you'd want that. Now go on and-"

"-Will you just shut up?!"

Gashakura whirled back around as he heard the yell. It had come from Fuuko, who was now on her knees. It was apparent to all those gathered in the arena that it took a lot of effort out of her to do just that. "I'm okay with it; it's not like I have any choice in the matter anyway." She took a deep breath before pulling herself to her feet. "Let's just…get on with…this…"

The gathered crowd was stunned into silence by the brunette's proclamation; and a minute later, they erupted into cheers, taking note of the girl's courage and determination –for a change.

"Is this wise?" questioned Gashakura, quietly, as the girl swayed on her feet. He knew that a large portion of her back was probably burnt, badly at that, and that exhaustion must be taking its toll on her. So…how could she still say that she wanted to carry on with the match?

Fuuko shrugged, her breath coming out in short gasps. "Probably not," she said, grinning once more. "But what the hell; I might as well go for it."

Meanwhile:

The members of team Uruha Kurenai stared at the screen, different thoughts on their minds as they heard and watched the fighting area change.

Kai was the first one to break the stony silence that had formed amongst them.

"That…was an unexpected twist," he muttered. Mikoto snorted.

"It was certainly brilliantly planned," she said. "Mori-sama sure knows how to make things more interesting." She shrugged as she felt more than saw the dark look that Kai was giving her. "She deserved it anyway, being the arrogant, cocky little upstart that she is."

"That's enough, Mikoto-han," said Joker, with a startling authoritative note in his voice. It was even more startling to notice that the usual cheery note was absent from his voice.

Mikoto turned her dark eyes on him. "Excuse me? Who do you think-" The trident that the jokester of the Uruha carried around with him, his madougu, was slammed onto the ground, cutting her off.

"I said, that's enough, Mikoto-han," repeated Joker. All that Mikoto could see from where she was were a pair of glinting eyes; the jokester's hat covered the rest of his face. She would have loved to argue with the taller man, tell him that she only took orders from Kurei-sama and not from the likes of him…but she knew that the man was powerful; powerful enough to take on anyone of Uruha Kurenai –save for its leader- and win most of the battles.

So she wisely kept her mouth shut; although that did not stop her from sending the tall man a nasty glare.

No-one in the room noticed that the Uruha leader had tensed, tensed the moment he had turned to the screen and witnessed the whole incident with the electric fence that served as a barrier around a smaller portion of the ring. No-one had noticed the way his hands had clenched into fists as they watched events unfold.

And of course no one noticed the snarl that formed on his face as he listened to the announcement that Mori Koran made, concerning the electric fence.

Chichiue, he thought, is crossing the line now. He didn't bother correcting the thought, or denying it, for it was true. His –his eyes narrowed- father hadn't gotten involved in any match during the tournament's history, and it made him wonder why he was doing so now.

Having learnt a lot about the man after living in close quarters with him for a good number of years, he knew that his father wouldn't do anything unless there was something in it that benefited him. But…how can ensuring that Kirisawa Fuuko loses her match… 'benefit' him? He frowned. There's still one more match…and there is a chance that Hokage can still win…although if it's down to Ishijima Domon against Magensha, the victory will go to Uruha Ma. Then what-?

His eyes narrowed. He doesn't trust me. Of course; it was as clear as that. Mori Koran didn't believe that he and his team, Uruha Kurenai, could defeat the Hokage, should the progress to the final-round. That was why he was intervening, to ensure that the Hokage don't reach the final round. I told him to stay out of my business…

A scream snapped him out of his thoughts, causing him to focus his attention once more on the screen. The scream had come from the brunette Fuujin-wielder as she was pushed against a part of the electric fence once more. He didn't care much for the shocked yells and exclamations from the crowd, or from the two remaining Hokage members or from Kagero herself.

Catching a glimpse of the brunette's face, of the expression on it, caused him to…clench his jaw tight. A strange, foreign sensation swam inside his gut as he recognized the expression as one of pain –although that wasn't too hard to do. He scowled behind his mask. What was the foreign sensation? In one sense, it was familiar…but then, it was difficult for him to place it.

But that wasn't what bothered him. It was the fact that he was thinking about her. Again.

What happens to her is none of your business, he told himself mentally, even as he watched the girl pull herself to her feet, staggering all the way. She is a member of the Hokage; a loss for her would benefit the Uruha. There is no reason to feel……odd. She deserves this.

"Ano…Uruha Kurenai…?" Mikoto, Kai and Noroi turned around as one when they heard the timid voice of the referee, who quivered under their gazes. Joker didn't bother turning around, and neither did Kurei.

"What?" snapped Mikoto, as nastily as always. The referee visibly winced.

"Your…match, it's…I mean, it's time for your match…" Noroi grunted as he moved forward, towards the frightened girl. Mikoto smirked as she watched the girl's eyes widen in fear.

"She is not your opponent, Noroi," commanded Kurei. "Leave her be." As Noroi stopped in his tracks, the referee bowed somewhat untidily before running out of the room as fast as she could.

Kai turned back to the leader of their team and noticed that he was standing still, still staring at the screen, through which they could see Gashakura preparing himself for the last strike at the prone Fuujin-wielder. The dark-skinned Kai shook his head, not too pleased with what he guessed was Gashakura's intention; taking out the Fuujin-wielder for good. He was about to turn away from the screen, when something caught his eye, causing them to widen.

"What is he doing?" exclaimed Mikoto, as they watched Gashakura destroy the four pillars in the ring; the pillars that held up the electric fence. Joker, who had been silent for a while, grinned.

"He's trying to play fair," he said. "That's nice of him, ne?"

"You mean stupid," muttered Mikoto, looking disgusted. "If he had attacked her then, like he was supposed to, the match would already be over. The foolish man."

Gashakura… Kurei shook his head slightly as the Fuujin-wielder got up. She still swayed on her feet, still sported rather vicious injuries from the now non-existent electric fence, still looked exhausted, but there was something different; there was a grin on her face. It was the confident grin that she usually had on her face.

As the brunette made an obscene gesture towards Magensha, who was standing on the sidelines, the masked man couldn't help but smirk. This match isn't over yet, Gashakura…

Dragging his eyes away from the screen –and surprising himself at the force with which he had to exert to do just that- Kurei turned to face his expectant subordinates.

"Joker," he said, turning his head slightly. "You will not be coming out with us; do whatever it was that you were doing before." He did not turn back to the screen as he heard the loud cheers. "Let's go."

"Be careful out there, Kurei-han," said Joker, as he waved merrily at the masked-man. "I wouldn't want you to get yourself electrocuted." Kurei paid no heed to the jokester, as he made his way to the door. "The celebrations you and I have planned won't be…as effective if you get yourself injured, ne?" There was a saucy note in the man's voice as he stared at his leader's back.

Mikoto, Kai and even Noroi stared at the jokester, varying expressions on their faces, before turning to their leader. Kurei sighed heavily as he felt three, no four, pairs of eyes on his back. He was already confused enough, what with the…strange thoughts in his head about the Fuujin-wielder (thoughts that he couldn't understand well…) and he wasn't about to put up with the jokester's comic antics.

"Joker," he started.

"Hai, hai," said Joker, cheerily. "Not my fault no-one understands a joke." The pout disappeared from his face instantly, replaced by a cheerful grin. "Good luck, then! Present for you!"

I should be rewarded for putting up with him, thought Kurei, as he walked out of the room. Mikoto followed him, but not before turning to glare at Joker.

"Gomen, Mikoto-han, but it's not you who I love." With a huff, Mikoto exited the room. As Kai turned to shoot him an exasperated glance, Joker shrugged easily. "Love you too, Kai-han!" Rolling his eyes, Kai followed Mikoto, although Noroi stayed behind for a moment, staring blankly at Joker. "Er…why don't you get going, Noroi-han?" The tall, somewhat strange member of Uruha Kurenai stood still, continuing to stare. "…Love you too, Noroi-han…?" he tried, his smile appearing a little bit stretched.

A/N

Alright, now I know that there wasn't much Ku/Fuu (or is it Fuu/Rei) interaction in this, but I sort of wanted to focus on Kurei in this…on Kurei and his thoughts.

The next chapter, however, will certainly feature Kurei and Fuuko interaction, so please put up with me until then!

Well, that's it for now…reviews will be gladly accepted.

And I'd like to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Keep smiling!!!

See ya soon!

Siriusgirl1