Chapter 10

The tournament was the next day. Rexi stood next to Ethan as he worked some of his illusions on a demon that had offered to help. She hoped that they wouldn't have to fight each other. She really didn't. She hoped that she wouldn't face any of her friends—not Ethan, not Kurama, not Yusuke or Hiei, not Jin even. While she could easily win with poisoning everyone she didn't want to kill.

Suddenly the demon cried out and shied away as if something horrible was about to come at her. And then she stopped and looked around as if it disappeared. Ethan smiled at this. "Thank you. You may go." He called before turning on Rexi who tilted her head to the side.

"I saw nothing." She told him, blinking. During their year of gallivanting around they had never had to defend themselves using their own powers. A kick here or a punch there normally did it. So this was new, getting to see as Ethan worked. But at the same time she was very confused. Where was the illusion?

"The illusion only works on the one I put on. To anyone outside of the illusion they won't see a thing." Ethan explained as he drew her close and kissed her sweetly. She returned the kiss as her hands tightened in his shirt, pulling him nearer. It wasn't one of the passion filled ones that she and Kurama would have shared, but it was sweet.

When she pulled away she was smiling happily. "I see. So it depends on the person. What did you have her see?" She asked as she laced their fingers together and led the way back to the room they were staying in while waiting for the tournament. She reached up and tucked a piece of her blond hair out of her eyes and laughed as he pulled it back out.

"I had her see giant scorpion poison her and was about to eat her." He told her before leaning down and kissing her cheek. "You are beautiful with your hair down and with some in your face. Of course you are beautiful whenever I see you so it doesn't really matter."

Kurama stepped out in front of them talking to Jin before noticing the couple. Rexi was too busy watching Ethan to notice a sliver of sadness fight through his carefully laid mask. Ethan saw it and had to fight down a small amount of glee at the emotion.

"Ah, Kurama." She said when she noticed them ahead of them. "How is your training doing?" She asked, pulling her hand away from Ethan's and walking over to her friend. Despite her friend's adamant declarations that it was okay for her to show affection towards Ethan when they were together, she still felt odd. She didn't want to seem like she was throwing it in his face.

"It's going good. What about you?" Kurama asked, returning the hug that she offered him.

"I've been doing my thing. Maze has been giving me as many powders as he can without hurting himself." She told him with an evil grin. "Ethan's working on some new illusion tricks."

"Oh, you are participating in the tournament? I thought you were just helping Ethan train." Kurama said, surprise registering freely as he looked down at Rexi. While he knew that she could fight, he hadn't thought that she would participate. She had no reason to fight. She had never mentioned a want to be a queen of the Makai.

"Yeah. I figure it would make a great story someday. Something like 'Hey did I ever tell you about the time that I took on such and such demon at the Makai King Tournament?'." She teased with a laugh. "I hear that the fighters have a chance to forfeit and the other demon can't kill the other. So if I think I can't take on the demon I face I'll just forfeit."

Kurama shook his head though a smile lit his face. "A demon you can't poison with your lovely powders? That will be rare. I won't be surprised if I am eventually saying hello Lady Rexi. Or would you prefer Queen?" he teased before noticing a scowl come over Ethan's face. A slight feeling of happiness at that rose up before he squashed it as she laughed and shook her head.

"No. I'm not going to use poison. It wouldn't be fair." She replied. "I would want a king that can win without cheating. And by using poison, I'd cheat therefore I wouldn't want me to be king."

"A noble one we have here. Not common among demons." Ethan said as he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her waist as she leaned against him. He nuzzled her cheek and then her neck, giving it a small kiss as she jumped a little with a nervous giggle as she playfully pushed him away.

"Stop it, you silly. There's no need to be like that right now." She told him, smiling back at Kurama.

"Well we should get back to training." Kurama said, dragging Jin away quickly. He didn't want her getting the wrong idea, or was it the right idea? That he still felt as if he was getting killed slowly as she kissed and was with Ethan?

She watched him go and then looked back at Ethan, busying herself with making sure he was ready for the fights. After all, they were going to be possibly fighting each other. The next few hours went by in a flash and she found herself standing outside of the tournament stadium that had just been finished. It was deserted as she entered and went to the place where all the demons participating would gather to choose who they fought. She looked around and was reminded of the Dark Tournament.

"Pretty impressive huh?" Chime asked as he stepped out from the shadows. He wore the outfit that a warrior Ysandi would wear—a pair of black pants with silver butterflies on it along with silver designs that were painted on his upper body. Behind him stood Limrin, his arm wrapped around his husbands shoulders. She ran forward and hugged Chime, hiding her face in his chest as she suddenly felt far more stressed that he actually was.

"I suppose so." She finally managed as she pulled away and sighed. "Couldn't keep you away from a fight huh?" She playfully punched him the stomach and was surprised by the tight muscles there. When had he become such a strong man?

"Nope. I'm the representative of our village. They didn't want to send more than one Ysandi to take over the world so they had a tournament the last few days and I won. They've given me the best designs that I could ask for as a reward." He said, turning around to show her the full extent of the tattoo like marks. They would not fade nor be washed away by anything but Ysandi Butterfly blood. In fact they were infused with health, regeneration, and strength. She gaped and examined them carefully until she started to poke them to test their validity and he pushed her away.

"Stop that. That tickles." He said with a frown. "Where are your own designs? You know they take at least twenty four hours to sink in."

"I'm going in without any." She said with a shrug as she turned away and looked at the giant tv that would show the rest of the watchers the different battles.

"Like you are going without Kurama?" he asked. He could read it in her body. The fact that she was even thinking of joining the fighting was the tip off, but now that he watched her, he could see that the young woman didn't have the look of someone who had re-found her own true love.

Rexi stiffened as the thought of Kurama and her going in together crossed her mind. "No. We aren't back together. In fact he found a human that he seems to like a lot. And I've met a demon that seems to like me well enough. His name is Ethan. You will have to meet him sometime before the fights tomorrow." She said, turning to smile at her brother. She blinked as he frowned at her as if she had done something unspeakable.

"What?" She asked sourly. If this was about Kurama, she'd shoot it down now.

"I just think you are a tad bit bonkers and I'll meet this Ethan person after the fights. I won't hold back sister." He said finally turning to leave. "Even if it's you or Kurama. I mean to get this crown and put the Ysandi people over the ones that have treated us like trash. I hope you remember that."

Rexi winced as she was left alone once more and she sat down on the ground. Taking several deep breaths she calmed herself as lines on her body began to appear. They followed her veins and laced from her eyes creating the markings of a butterfly over her face and the form of wings on her back and arms. When she opened her eyes once more they sparkled with a dedication towards winning that left no room for argument as she rose up. Maze flew into the arena and straight at her. When their bodies hit it caused a giant power surge that went out a mile in every direction. Demons everywhere turned towards the arena and rushed there to find out what happened.

Chime looked at the arena and smirked. "No. You won't need markings with what you just did my sister. It will be a pleasure to fight you at that level." He said to the air as Limrin laughed a cold laugh and the two left the building.

She walked away from the arena using the shadows to cover her movements. And so the fighting would begin. Her smile flashed in the shadows as Kurama, Yusuke and Hiei rushed by to find out what happened but didn't see her. Perfect.