En and Ryo's plan worked out well. The demons around us in the stands grumbled and hissed a bit when they ran into the edges of my searing energy, but they quickly backed away to a respectable distance when they realized the source. Ryo had been right. None of the demons in these stands was brave enough to pick a fight with the deadly Ichigaki team.

That did not stop them from bad-mouthing humans in general, though. As the start of the match drew nearer and the stands filled with more and more demons, there were increasingly frequent calls to Kill all the humans!

The match was set to start at high noon. At fifteen 'til, Juri appeared in the ring, and the noise in the stadium surged with restless energy.

Team Urameshi walked out first. Or rather, most of it did. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei all emerged in a single line, looking grim. Genkai was conspicuously absent.

"They're fighting without a full roster, again?" Ryo shook his head, arms folded. "They're not taking this seriously."

Kai furrowed his brow. "Master Genkai would not miss a fight this important. Not if she was able."

"She is not able," Metamura said, so softly we almost couldn't hear him over the roar of the demons surrounding us. I turned to look at him, and he looked deeply saddened. Like he had last night, looking at Yusuke's miniature sun.

I remembered the feeling I'd had when I saw it, awe and amazement and horrible loss. Remembered Metamura's murmured farewell. I hadn't understood the words at the time, hadn't felt brave enough to question it. Now, I didn't have to. I knew.

Genkai was dead.

"When?" I felt breathless. It didn't make sense that the woman who had saved all our lives only a few days ago, who had soundly trounced not one but two demons in the semifinals, could be dead. "How?"

Metamura shook his head, silently communicating that he had no answers. In the ring, Juri daintily cleared her throat into the microphone to call the stadium to attention, and I turned my attention back to the ring, still feeling distinctly off-kilter.

"Please put your hands together for everyone's favorite: Team Toguro!"

The returning champions entered. There was Toguro himself, hulking and tall, with his elder brother perched on his enormous shoulder like some sort of demented gargoyle. Behind them entered Bui, who was nearly as big as Toguro, and Karasu, who looked like he'd stepped out of a vampire flick.

It was going to be four against four, apparently. The demons in the stadium noticed, and were not happy. They grumbled. Grumbling turned to complaints, and soon they were shouting in protest, demanding that each team produce an additional fighter.

"Everyone, please calm down and I'll get to the bottom of this!" The stadium's jeers quieted while Juri consulted the rule book. "Let me see… according to the tournament rule book, each of the ten players must participate in a one on one match, assuming five matches are necessary. The first team to win three matches will be the champions."

Juri shut the rule book with a snap. "Since it is the final and neither team has used their substitution, you must have five or your team will forfeit!"

"They don't have five," I realized aloud, with dread. We knew they didn't have an alternate—Ryo had volunteered to fill in after we lost our own match to Team Urameshi, and been rejected because all their fighters were still alive. Now Genkai was dead, and they needed someone.

"They would have thought to get a replacement, wouldn't they?" En sounded doubtful even as he suggested it.

"I doubt replacing Genkai was the first thing on their minds," Ryo pointed out, voice grave.

Juri was tapping her foot impatiently. "Both teams need to find another player soon, because if you don't I'll be forced to disqualify you, and that's not good!"

Team Toguro's door opened. Sakyo, the cold-eyed man we'd met the night before the tournament began, joined the team he owned by the side of the ring. The demons in the stadium murmured dubiously, but didn't dare to complain aloud for fear of angering the Toguro team. Now only Team Urameshi was in danger of being disqualified.

I clenched my teeth and eyed the rows between our seats and the ring, and all the demons between. I'd piss off a bunch of them if I went down there now, but if Yusuke's team didn't find a fifth fighter soon—

"Toguro is prepared, now present your fighter or the finals are over!"

No choice.

I shot up from my seat, ignoring my friends' protests and the hissing of the surrounding demons. I raced down the steps. Demons with brains jumped out of the way. Those who didn't suffered the consequences, skin bubbling and smoking, crying out in pain as I passed. I ignored them all, slamming into the stadium wall near the Urameshi team less than five seconds after standing.

"Yusuke!" I cupped my hands around my mouth to be heard over the rabble. Yusuke and his team turned. On seeing me, Kuwabara nearly sagged in relief. "Do you need me to come down there?"

Yusuke scowled darkly, then shouted back, "I got a replacement, he's just LATE!"

"Well, you're about to be disqualified!" Yusuke looked from me to the stadium doors, as if expecting them to open any second. He muttered something I couldn't hear, but that I guessed was a curse.

"Team Urameshi, is this or is this not your fifth fighter?" Juri demanded. "Because if she's not, I'm going to have to disqualify you."

Yusuke looked at her, and then at me, and then at the doors behind him. He cursed again, turned back to Juri, and opened his mouth, looking angry but resigned.

"Fighter Nana is not eligible to be Team Urameshi's alternate," Koto interrupted before he could speak. Then she added, cattily, "And anyone who really knows the rule book would know that."

"Why not?!" Kuwabara demanded, turning to glare at the sound booth, just visible in the lowest rows of stands. I turned, too, irritation rising.

Koto held up a finger and recited the rule. "In the Dark Tournament of 1980, a contestant on one of the teams in the semifinals colluded with an opposing team to throw the match, betraying their teammates, then joined the other team as an alternate for the final round. In order to prevent future collusion between opposing teams, the tournament committee ruled that players from defeated teams are not permitted to become alternates for teams still in the running."

It was actually a rather smart rule, I thought, given the sorts of low-lives who actually wanted to fight and win in this tournament. But the rule being applied to me rankled.

"I was mind controlled, remember?" I hollered bitterly at the sound booth. "I couldn't have colluded with anyone, even if I wanted to!"

Koto gave a dainty shrug. "Look, sweetie, I don't make the rules."

"And anyway," Juri butted in, shooting a peevish look at the sound booth, "you can't just switch. The rules say that a new player may only be brought in if an original player is dead!"

Yusuke's face darkened. "Well, about that…"

"It doesn't matter." Sakyo had lit a cigarette and looked utterly relaxed despite being surrounded by towering, deadly demons.

"Their team will never get to the fifth match, so it won't be necessary for the girl to fight." Karasu spoke silkily, and I shuddered at the sound of his voice. There was something not right about him, his dark eyes glistening with malice above his mask. "I say we let her stand in. It will be amusing to watch her watch her friends die."

"Now, now, there's no need to be hasty." Finally the door behind Team Urameshi opened. I eyed the man who emerged distastefully. He was already almost disastrously late, and on top of that he had a pacifier in his mouth, and looked utterly unashamed about it. "I'm here."

Kuwabara jumped in surprise. "It's a giant Koenma!" I didn't understand Kuwabara's disbelief—the man looked average-sized to me.

Yusuke glowered at him. "What kept you, a diaper change?"

Koenma narrowed his eyes at the comment. "Look, Yusuke, you can cool it with the wise-cracks. I don't have to be here, you know. I'm doing this as a favor." In a lofty voice he added, "Highly important people such as myself shouldn't risk their lives, but Genkai was a friend, and Toguro's a jerk."

Yusuke still looked pissed. "Well, if you're gonna be a little bitch about it, maybe Ren should be down here instead of you."

"I agree," Kuwabara said, eyeing Koenma doubtfully. "Can you even fight?"

"Believe it or not, fighting isn't way up there on my list of priorities." The man flipped his vibrant red cape aside, revealing what appeared to be a jetpack. He looked inappropriately proud of his own cleverness.

"What marvelous options," Hiei drawled. "A cowardly infant, and a girl who can't even control her own power."

I flinched. That stung. It was true, but it still stung.

"Hiei," Kurama admonished him quietly, but Hiei didn't even blink, entirely unapologetic. Kuwabara, though, actually looked bolstered by Hiei's derisive comment. He turned toward me, looking hopeful.

"Hey wait, that's right! Ren, you've still got that anti-demon aura—all you'd have to do is get close to one of 'em and they'd fry! Right?"

I stared down at Kuwabara's hopeful expression, wondering how to respond to that. With a quick glance at Toguro's team, and remembering what I'd seen them do in the semifinals, I decided brutal honesty was the best way to go.

"No, Kuwabara. I'd probably die."

Kuwabara's eyes widened at the blunt pronouncement. Hiei grunted, looking half-amused, though at my words or Kuwabara's reaction I wasn't sure. Kuwabara stammered, "W-what?"

I raised a hand and began ticking off the reasons why my actually fighting any member of Team Toguro would be suicide. "Firstly, I have no idea the effect my energy would have on demons as strong as these guys. It might barely tickle them. Secondly, with my mad dash through the stands, they now know that my aura is offensive to demons, and wouldn't risk getting close to me."

My third point was going to be that I had watched them in the semi-finals and didn't think I'd be able to survive long enough to outsmart a single one of them, but decided at the last second that it was not the sort of thing I should tell Kuwabara before he had to fight them.

Instead I said, "The only one I'd stand a chance against is Sakyo, and as much as I'd like to wipe that sadistic smirk off his stupid face, I doubt he'd be here if there was a real possibility that he'd actually have to step into the ring."

Juri interrupted, looking thoroughly annoyed at having been ignored all this time. "Your opponents may be willing to allow you an alternate fighter, but I'm not bending any more rules! Nana cannot join Team Urameshi."

My jaw clenched, and my fingers itched to lob an orb of energy at her. Not because she'd barred me from joining Yusuke's team, but because she insisted on calling me that stupid name.

"Looks like you're on the team after all, Koenma." Yusuke sounded unenthused, and when he turned to me again his eyes were oddly flat. It was a worrying expression. "Thanks anyway, Ren."

"Alright!" Koto crowed into the microphone. "After much delay, we finally have ten fighters. It's been seven long days of glorious blood baths, folks, all leading up to this final match. Let's get this party started!"

With a sigh, I turned, looking at the masses of demons separating me from my friends. My gaze landed on the nearest demon, who appeared at least slightly singed and more than a little wary. I eyed him without sympathy or patience.

"Move."

This time, the crowd parted easily before me. I swept up the stairs to the stands, ignoring the glares of demons, and settled back in next to Ryo as Kurama entered the ring to face off against the shudder-inducing Karasu.

"A little warning, next time?" Ryo said when I sat, shooting me a reproving look. He and the others looked tense, and seemed to relax only marginally when I rejoined them. Not that I could blame them—my stomach was tying itself in knots as Koto finished introducing the combatants for the first round.

"Sure thing." Hoping to get Ryo to unclench his jaw, I added, "Next time I volunteer to be an alternate in the final round of a crooked demon death tournament, I promise to let you know well in advance."

Ryo shot me an unamused look, but his jaw unclenched a little and his lip quirked upward the tiniest bit. "Smart ass."

I quirked my lips in response, relaxing minutely for a fraction of a second. Then Koto began the first match of the final round, and all our smiles disappeared.

I don't remember much of what happened in that final round. It might have been because of what happened after, but I don't think that's what it was. Watching Yusuke and his team fight for their lives was almost as heart-wrenching as it had been to fight in the ring myself. And, like when I fought myself, I found it hard to recall the precise sequence of events: who did what to whom, and in what order. What I remember quite clearly, though, is how watching that last round of the tournament made me feel.

The natural thing to feel while watching the fights might have been worry for my cousin and his friends, or horror at all the carnage and destruction, or sadness at all the death and chaos, and certainly I felt all of those things at various points over the course of the afternoon. But greater than all of those other emotions was my sheer disgust.

The whole tournament was disgusting, of course. The whole foundation of the event, demons slaughtering each other for each other's amusement and bankrolled by the worst sort of humans I'd ever had the misfortune to meet, was reprehensible. But the final match was somehow worse.

I would have liked to say that my disgust was restricted to the tournament committee and the Toguro team, but it wasn't. Beyond my worry for their welfare, I was able to admire and cheer on the performance of Hiei, then Kuwabara, then finally Yusuke. Kurama, however...

I had been frustrated at first, and worried, when Kurama took his time in his fight, holding back and assessing his opponent. But then he'd transformed again, somehow, into that taller, more powerful demon form, and still he'd dallied. It became clear then that Kurama was not simply biding his time to fully understand and counter his opponent's attacks.

He toyed with Karasu, and he enjoyed it. It was disgusting to watch. It wasn't the thrill of the fight that Kurama was relishing, like Hiei and Yusuke so clearly did. It was the thrill of having prey right where you wanted it, and it very nearly proved fatal for Kurama. He lost the match because of it, and nearly lost his life.

Karasu's sadism was undeniably worse, though, and I did not grieve to see him finally die and be consumed by one of Kurama's flesh-eating plants. The battle between Hiei and Bui that followed left me more in awe and terror at the sheer power that the two wielded than anything else, but then Kuwabara fought the vile Elder Toguro brother and my feelings of disgust returned full-force.

Then, in Yusuke's final match versus Toguro, I was forced to extend my spiritual aura to protect myself and my friends from Toguro's demon energy before he could eat our souls for energy. By the time Yusuke finished his battle with the Young Toguro, I was too physically and emotionally exhausted to feel much of anything I felt empty and hollow inside, as if I'd exceeded the maximum human capacity for terror and repulsion and managed to crash the system. I was just barely able to must an echo of joy and relief when it finally sank in that Yusuke had won, and then again when Kuwabara hoisted himself off the ground and revealed that Toguro had not killed him after all.

When, mere moments later, Sakyo pulled out a remote and pressed a button that caused the entire stadium to tremble ominously and a pleasant woman's voice began to calmly count down to the moment when the stadium would self-destruct, I couldn't even bring myself to feel surprised.

"Stadium detonation now commencing," announced an infuriatingly serene recording. "Fifteen minutes."

"Detonation?!" En stared up at the stadium speakers with wide-eyed horror, as if he hoped that he'd misheard the recording.

Ryo hissed, fists white-knuckled at his sides. "Haven't enough people died in this stupid stadium already?"

Ever the voice of reason, Kai did not bother with anger or disbelief. "We need to get out of here."

En and Ryo straightened, then nodded quickly, and then we were running. Master Metamura was not fully recovered, but he had little trouble keeping up with our pace. Though we moved as quickly as we could, escape was made more difficult by the crowds of demons and the rubble from the bits of stadium that had already been destroyed. The most promising potential exit point was the massive hole Yusuke had blown in the walls that Sakyo had raised to keep demons from fleeing from Toguro's horrible soul-eating technique, and now the crowd of surviving demons was stampeding in that direction. With quick glances and shrugs—no time to find another exit—we followed the crowd as best we could.

We wound through piles of rubble and half-destroyed corridors, following the masses of demons and hoping they'd lead to the way out. After long minutes, counted down by the still-serene recorded voice, we finally drew close to the hole that Yusuke had blown in the stadium wall. Not too close, though—the massive crowd of demons was packed tightly together, shouting loudly in anger and panic.

After a puzzled look between us, I pushed through the crowd, remorselessly watching as demons sizzled and yelped and leapt out of our path. We made it through the masses quickly, and then quickly discovered why the demons weren't escaping.

"It's blocked!" En cried, staring at our would-be exit in dismay.

The hole in the stadium wall seemed to have weakened the whole structure, and the constant rumbling accompanied by the count-down to the self-destruct sequence must have weakened it further. The wall had collapsed, with huge blocks of concrete blocking the only exit available. A few dozen demons were scratching futilely at the concrete blocks with sharp nails and claws, and one demon that resembled a toad was frantically spitting what looked to be acid on the debris. It was more effective than the mad scratching, but only barely. And it certainly wouldn't clear the rubble before—

"Stadium detonation, five minutes." Still that same serene voice. I probably would have found that annoying, if I wasn't so emotionally exhausted. As it was, I felt only a vague sense of urgency, even as a wave of panic and despair rippled over the crowd. The acid-spitting toad demon started spitting faster.

"We don't have time to find another exit," En said, voice pitched high with anxiety. Metamura put a calming hand on En's shoulder, and En glanced at him, wide-eyed.

"Then we'll just have to make one, won't we?" Ryo started rolling up his sleeves, eyes blazing with determination. We all got his meaning immediately.

En's shining angel blades appeared on his arms, spinning and crackling in anticipation. Kai slid into a ready stance, his javelin at the ready. Ryo's hands sparked with energy from his grisly claw. I held out both hands and called forth two shining golden orbs, glittering with destructive energy. Together, the four of us stalked forward to combine our attacks once more—and for the first time of our own free will.

"Move out of the way!" Ryo commanded. The demons struggling against the rubble scattered with startled cries. When they were all clear, we stood at the ready. Ryo glanced at each of us in turn. "On three. Ready? One… two… three!"

We released our energy at once. The light was blinding, and the noise was deafening, but as the light faded I saw that our combined efforts had worked. Our attacks had created an opening in the fallen rubble, wide enough for a good five or six demons to fit through at once if they were standing side by side. The demon crowd cheered, and then proceeded to push past us to sprint out through the opening as quickly as they could.

We moved aside for a moment, letting the worst and most panicked of the crowd get through before we tried to follow. I carefully scanned the figures who passed, but I didn't see any of Yusuke's team or the girls who'd come to cheer them on among the crowd.

"Stadium detonation, three minutes."

Ryo tugged on my hand, pulling my attention away from the crowd. "We've gotta go!"

Still checking the crowd over my shoulder, I followed, allowing Ryo to tug me along as En, Kai, and Master Metamura jogged ahead of us through the opening in the wall.

"Did you see Yusuke or any of the others?" I had to raise my voice to be heard over the pounding of feet and the settling of debris.

Ryo looked briefly dismayed, then shook his head determinedly. "No—but don't worry, Ren, I'm sure they got out. They beat the Toguro team, they're not about to be defeated by a collapsing building."

I nodded reluctantly. I wasn't sure I believed Ryo's assessment, but there was nothing I could do at this point if they hadn't already made it out. Still, as we reached the end of our makeshift escape tunnel, I paused, turning back one last time to scan the crowd escaping the stadium as the speaker system announced serenely that the stadium would detonate in just two minutes.

Things went a little fuzzy after that. I remember a great groaning noise, and then a startled shout. I remember Ryo's hand tightening on my wrist, and stumbling a little as he tugged me away. Then the world went oddly quiet, and my vision flashed from black to white very rapidly, like a strobe light. It was highly disorienting, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the effect.

"No, no, no, don't fall asleep." The voice was familiar, but muddled, and distant. I couldn't place it. "Open your eyes, Ren."

I obeyed. The world was all bright, blurred colors, but after a second it swam into more focus. Ryo was the one talking, mouth moving rapidly. His lips didn't quite seem to match up with his words, like a movie with messed up audio. En and Kai and Metamura were there, too, looking panicked and pale.

My first instinct was to reassure them, though I had no idea what could have them looking so panicked. We'd made it out of the stadium, after all. I drew in a breath to ask what was wrong, but it took more effort than it should have. I frowned, puzzled, and barely managed a soft wheeze.

"She's not healing herself," someone said. En, maybe? "Ren, you have to try to heal yourself."

Was I injured? I didn't feel it. I was just...tired. Nothing a little sleep couldn't cure. I let my eyes slide shut.

"She can't." Someone else. "She expended too much energy shielding us from Toguro's attacks. I'm surprised she had enough left to blast through the wall."

All the voices blended together. Faded.

The haze lifted when my spirit left my body. I was surprised at the sudden ejection—I had barely realized I was injured, let alone so close to death. But now, looking down at my body, I could see the state I was in. My hair was matted with blood, lots of it. Head wounds supposedly bled a lot, I knew, but this still looked excessive. My left arm was sticking out at an odd angle, and there was a deep gash in one of my legs.

"Figures," I muttered, peeved.

I was more annoyed than anything. I'd resigned myself to death ages ago, back in Ichigaki's lab. I didn't fear it. Hell, back then I'd welcomed it. Begged for it. But now, I had so much to live for. I'd fought so hard to stay alive, to persevere through the nightmare of the last few months—and right when I was finally free, I died. Not even in battle, either, but because a bunch of rocks fell on me.

What rotten luck.

En, Ryo, and Kai were still calling my name, trying to get me to open my eyes. They must not have noticed that I'd stopped breathing. Their cries were growing more frantic the longer I didn't respond, though, and my heart twisted painfully. They'd done so much to help and protect me. My death was going to devastate them.

"What the hell?"

Their cries had drawn attention. Yusuke shoved through the crowd, followed more cautiously by his teammates and friends. At the sight of my body, Yusuke's eyes widened, then darkened with anger.

"Uh-uh, no way!" Yusuke dropped to his knees, knocking Ryo out of the way impatiently. Ryo, apparently in shock, allowed himself to be pushed aside, and merely watched wide-eyed as Yusuke shook my shoulders roughly. My body's head lolled to one side and bounced with each shake.

"WAKE UP!" Yusuke slapped my face a couple of times—to no avail, obviously.

Everyone but Yusuke seemed to get it. En had begun to cry. Ryo sat on the ground, stiff and unmoving where Yusuke had shoved him. Metamura was holding onto Kai, who looked like he might topple over. Keiko leaned heavily on Shizuru, watching Yusuke mournfully. Kuwabara looked shocked, and Yukina, next to him, looked terribly sad. A clenched jaw was the only sign that Hiei was at all affected by the sight of my corpse, but Kurama was pale and looked somewhat paine.

"Yukina, Botan, you've got healing powers, right?" Yusuke demanded.

"I'm sorry, Yusuke." Botan shook her head. She wasn't looking at Yusuke, or at my body. Strangely, her sad pink eyes actually seemed to be fixed on me—spirit me, that is. "It's too late. Her spirit's left her body."

I blinked at her, then at the small, tearful crowd. Only Koenma, standing at Botan's shoulder, seemed to follow her eyes.

"Can you see me?" Koenma nodded, looking somber. Botan's head dipped the tiniest bit, her lips trembling. I balked at the moisture gathering in her eyes, feeling absurdly guilty for causing it. "Oh, come on, Botan, please don't cry."

My words had the opposite of the intended effect. Botan sniffled and then buried her face in her hands, crying in earnest.

"Well her spirit better get back in her body," Yusuke snapped. "No one else is allowed to die on account of this stupid tournament! You hear me, Ren? Wake up!" His hands started to glow a soft, pale blue. He let go of my shoulders and raised his hands, like he was preparing to pound on my unbreathing chest and start performing CPR.

Koenma's eyes widened at the sight. He held out a hand, saying urgently, "Yusuke, wait—"

"Wake UP!" Yusuke's hands connected, just over my heart.

I screamed.

I had felt this pain before, many times. Seven times, to be precise. Yusuke's hands might as well not have stopped on my chest. It felt as if he'd punched right through me, past my body, and tangled his hands in my soul. It was worse than being mauled by a giant robot, worse than being pierced by a thousand needles and pumped full of poison, worse than being crushed to death by rocks.

I didn't even register that I was back in my body until I'd already socked Yusuke hard across the jaw, knocking him to the side with force. He grunted with pain, but I hardly heard it. Only then did I realize that I was still screaming. With effort, I stopped.

My heart was racing a mile a minute, and my breathing was harsh and ragged, and my soul felt torn… but I was alive.

Yusuke pushed himself up, cheek red and swelling, and grinned. "Well, now I know we're related." He rubbed his cheek, looking ridiculously pleased for someone who'd just been punched in the face. "Looks like coming back from the dead runs in the family."

I stared at him for a second in disbelief. Then, I laughed. It hurt terribly, but I couldn't help it. Yusuke chuckled, too, though he couldn't possibly understand just why I was laughing. I tried to get myself under control, bracing a hand on my ribs as laughter descended into pained chuckles.

When I caught my breath enough to speak, I rasped, "Kid? You have no fucking idea."