ME: I'm back! Oh…did the ending of the last chapter jack the story up too bad? I was just getting annoyed of such calm little fights with what was in the original. I wanted to experiment with something evil and nasty!

Hiei: You are one strange Ningen. You understand this?

ME: I'm not a Ningen! I'm a Yokai like you! My powers are just a little less conspicuous.

Hiei: Hn. I highly doubt that. But shouldn't you be partying again? Someone else put this in another C2.

ME: (Blank face. Does a few double takes) OMG! (Jumps at Hiei and pulls him into a bear hug) AWESOME!

Hiei: Let go of me, you baka onna!

ME: YAY! (Hugs Hiei even tighter) Quit being such a stiff! Be happy!

Hiei: Don't you have a shout out or something you're supposed to say?

ME: Yes I do. You're lucky Hiei. Ok! This is for Outlaw-Lanava! Thank you for the review and I'll try as hard as I possibly can to update more! Its just getting hard but I'll try! And another shout out would go to Brandy. Nice reviews. Evil Gummy Bears and Mutant Hamsters huh? I like the way you think! Hehehe. Thanks for reviewing everyone and I'll try to update more often!

Hiei: This crazy baka onna only owns her character……and my doubt of her sanity.

ME: Hey, hey, hey. Leave my sanity out of this. We all know it's questionable. Hehehehe. (Hugs Hiei again) Ok people, enough stalling. Here's the next chappie!

-------------

Chapter 10: Prepare For The Dark Tournament!

"I found her in the woods nearby. She hasn't come around since Botan healed her," a soft voice echoed in the air around me. I felt myself lying on something soft and there was a small breeze drifting through the air. I moved a little and opened my eyes to see that I was in my bedroom at the apartments. I blinked in surprise and shot into a sitting position. I looked around the room and saw a particularly familiar shadow sitting on my windowsill. And it spoke, "Baka Onna."

I cocked my eyebrow and looked at him calmly. He seemed sort of agitated and there was something that seemed to spark behind his eyes as he glared at me. He had a cell phone up to his ear and I could hear the small buzz of someone speaking to him. My eyes narrowed down on the cell phone and my demonic ears perked to hear someone asking, "……mental condition?"

"She seems to be fine, looking at me from where she is," Hiei answered looking at me without any emotion.

"You sound so concerned," I muttered stifling a yawn behind the back of my hand, "So who are you talking to?"

"I'll call you back Kurama," Hiei dismissed my question as he hung up the phone and hid it away within his black cloak. Then he continued to look at me as if I hadn't said anything.

Slightly irritated that my question was so easily brushed aside I cocked my eyebrow at him saying, "I'm surprised you even know how to use a cell phone considering you've never tasted ice cream."

The regular monosyllable was his reply and he calmly slipped away from the windowsill to stand in front of me. He quietly slipped an apple out from within his cloak and dropped it in my hands saying, "You've been deprived four days worth of food. If you don't eat something soon you're bound to collapse again."

"I've been out for four days?!" WHAT THE HELL?!

"Possibly more. We only found you four days ago. Who knows how long you were lying in that pool of blood," Hiei sniffed causing a violent shiver to race down my spine. I looked down at the apple and calmly turned it over in my hands.

"How pathetic can one person be?" I muttered shaking my head slightly. I glanced up from the apple and saw that Hiei was looking at me in curious confusion. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he was probably guessing on whether I was still sane or not. I quietly laughed and continued half aloud and half to myself, "I allowed myself to get terrified and froze on the spot. Morte could've done me in with ease. How stupid can I get?"

"I can't answer that even though I have a decent guess," Hiei sniffed sitting back down on the windowsill. He stared at the window and something inside of me snapped and before I could stop I found myself telling him everything.

"I went ahead to go back home because I had something on my mind that had been bugging me all day. It was sometime after the sun had set when I reached the city limits and I was walking back to my apartment when I sensed something wrong. I looked up and saw all three of them on the nearby roof. Those three followed me at some point and-"

"Three?" Hiei slid quietly causing me to stop my sudden gush. I took a deep breath and calmed myself before continuing a little quieter than before.

"The Toguro brothers and Morte. I thought I could outrun them. Then…Morte caught up to me and……" I trailed off thinking about how she completely destroyed that demon right in front of my eyes. I shook my head and sighed, "I'm pathetic. I let myself freeze and she could've easily killed me if she wanted to."

"But instead you were invited to the Dark Tournament," Hiei said closing his eyes for a moment.

"I'm not strong enough," I growled tightening my grip on the apple so my nails dug into its bright red skin. Some of its ripe juices spilled out over my sharp nails and slowly moved down my fingers to my hand. I quickly stood and continued, "I have to start training as soon as possible. If I'm not stronger by the time of the tournament I'll only be a burden on you guys."

"Do you honestly plan on getting far on your own?"

That stopped me dead in my tracks. Training alone wouldn't do much for me, but training with someone else would actually push my limits. Plus, I needed to build up some tolerance to the Jagan-eye if I wanted to show Morte who was the bigger and tougher bitch. A little light bulb suddenly dinged over my head and I smirked as Hiei stood. I quickly spun so I was facing him and gave him a really deep bow of respect, "Hiei-sama, would you please be gracious enough to train with me for the next two months until the day of the tournament?"

Hiei had NOT expected this from me and began stuttering as he tried to answer. Although I found this completely entertaining, I kept my face straight and refused to even let the smallest snicker escape my lips. Finally he became silent and I looked up to see him studying me very closely.

"Hn. Whatever," he answered after a moment of silence. His eyes stared coldly at the window as he continued, "It's of little consequence one way or the other. But do not expect me to 'cut you some slack'. I train to my limits and you are expected to as well!"

"I understand," I replied bowing to him once again. When I straightened up I took a bite of the apple and relaxed. I couldn't be sure, but something told me that everything was going to be fine. Yeah, Morte was a new threat and she had the ability to change the story line until someone was killed, but……something told me that the Underworld Detectives would be able to handle it. Even if I ended up dying because of everything that would happen, I felt at peace. At least I wouldn't have screwed up their lives too much. Then again, something told me that the Underworld Detectives were going to become my greatest life line.

So the next day, after telling Koenma everything that happened, Hiei and I set out to the woods. Once there we commenced what Hiei liked to call, 'The Training from Hell'. All I have to say is this. HIEI'S A SLAVE DRIVER! He beat me so far into the ground that I was actually in danger of becoming apart of it and then demanded that I get right back up for more. My demonic body adapted to the attacks each time I was struck down, but my strength would only grow a small bit for each attack. It was aggravating to know that no matter how much I tried to get stronger I only got better by small measures. Meanwhile Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara were easily moving along with ease. Why was it, that no matter how hard I tried, I always came up short?

It was then that an insanely crazy idea came to me. It was one of those ideas that seemed so crazy that it just might work. So at the end of our first training session I looked at Hiei and asked him to bind my powers back with the Jagan-eye.

"What was the training for if you only wish for it to be bound back afterwards?" Hiei asked trying to hide the confusion with indifference.

"It's a way for me to build up my strength and store some power in my reserves. I'm painfully weak to the Jagan-eye and not only will this help me build some immunity to it, it'll make your powers more deadly than they already are," I said carefully playing my words to give me a strategic advantage, "Though it'll seem like we keep starting over, both of our skills will be growing and refining themselves."

Hiei seemed to like this explanation and mere seconds later I felt some of my strength leave my body……more so than I had intended. I staggered and Hiei was forced to help me back to the apartment. I learned then how much harder this training was going to be and how hard I was going to have to work to try to keep up with him. As time went by we both learned about each other's styles and were able to fight more effectively to push each other to our limits. Then we raced back to the apartments to get some rest and then head out to train once again. On weekends I would stop by the Minamino residence and see how everything was going and catch up. I always got a hot meal out of it and I made sure that I gave some of the food I had left over to Hiei who was always nearby. Not surprising since he was forbidden to leave by Reikai and Lord Pain-In-The-Ass Koenma. A month passed in this fashion and I wanted to know a little more about Hiei than just what I knew from the anime and manga. There had to be some more to him that what we always saw. So I finally struck a deal.

"How about with each hit we land we get to ask a question and the other has to answer. Is it a deal?" I asked stretching before we started our training session. I could literally see Hiei mulling it over in his mind before giving a slight nod of agreement. I smiled and grabbed my weapons so we could get to training. After a moment I leapt forward and our sparring match began. Hiei of course got plenty of hits on me with ease and I made sure I was as truthful as I possibly could be with all my answers. I was beginning to wonder though if Hiei let me land the hits I got on him. He sure as hell didn't seem surprised or aggravated when I landed them. So to make sure he kept letting get a few hits I kept my questions simple. I asked him what his favorite time of day was, what his favorite kind of sword was, and small things like that.

Hiei's answers were always short, sweet, and to the point and because of this questions came to mind that I KNEW I better not ask. So I constantly found myself biting back my questions and sticking to the smaller ones that let me learn a few things about him. After a while though I just couldn't stand it and finally asked a question that I really wanted HIM to answer, "Do you make tear jewels if you cry?"

Hiei instantly froze and stared at me. A stiff air hit me in the chest and I immediately backed down knowing I had pushed it too far. I cursed myself under my breath and quickly put away my weapons. Bowing to Hiei, I excused myself and raced to the store. It didn't take a genius to figure out I hit a sensitive spot and I needed to find a way to make it alright again. So I bought some ice cream and went home. I wrote an apology to Hiei and left it on the table as I put up the ice cream. Then I cleaned myself up and went to bed.

I don't know if Hiei completely forgave me, but the next day he was there ready to train and I noticed the ice cream I bought was missing. That really made me feel a little bit better. So we headed out to train and the deal continued. I was just more careful on what I asked him.

So the time came when we only had a day and a half left until we had to meet up for the tournament. After the training session I looked at Hiei and said, "I won't be able to train tomorrow. I'll be finishing up some final things before the tournament. The next time I see you will be at the meeting site."

Suspicion flashed in his eyes, but Hiei nodded and left in silence.

Truth was I was a nervous wreck about what was going to happen soon. Who was I kidding? I was likely to get my butt handed to me on a silver platter! I had no right to be entering the Dark Tournament and I knew it! This wasn't good. I was so screwed!

After having a little bit of a breakdown at the training site, I went home and thought over the stuff I would need to have for the tournament. Nothing big but I was going to need some essentials (which I knew would include a hell of a lot of bandages). So I spent the rest of the day composing a list of things I'd need and looking over what I had. The next full day I had before the tournament consisted of getting it all together and cutting out things that I wouldn't need. By sunset I was ready and I sat down on the couch looking up at the ceiling.

"…she'll be working with them," I heard someone say just outside my door before there was a knock. I slowly stood waiting to see if there would be an answer.

"Yeah and just because she knows Yusuke I bet she's in a boatload of trouble," Keiko's voice was the one that replied to the first.

"Botan and Keiko, huh? This should be interesting," I whispered opening to door and standing aside. I looked at them and said, "What can I do for you to?"

"Heyah Rin!" Botan said bouncing into the apartment as Keiko looked at me with a strange look on her face. I closed the door and turned to them as Botan said, "We were just coming to see if you were ready for the big day tomorrow!"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be to get myself killed," I answered sitting down on the chair across from the couch where Keiko and Botan sat. I looked over Keiko for a moment and said, "Let me guess. Keiko is coming to the tournament to watch Yusuke and know what the bloody idiot is doing. Am I right?"

"Yes," Keiko said stubbornly, "I'm not letting him out of my sight more than I have to. Anyways, we almost got killed from the last mission. It's better to be near him and know what's going on rather than sit around and run if something comes our way!"

"I don't blame you for that mind set, but it sure isn't going to be safe or fun for that matter. If you expect me to worry about anyone else besides myself you've got another thing coming Botan. I can't protect you two if I can't take care of myself and that's what Morte is playing on," I said looking down at my locket as I turned it over in my hands. I rolled my neck until it popped and looked over at the ferry girl saying, "Although I'm not too worried about you two. You've got a wicked swing and Keiko has a wicked backhand. I think you can take care of yourselves."

Botan laughed and Keiko couldn't help but smile. Soon Botan returned to her normal bouncy self and said, "We're just making sure you know what time you have to be ready and where you have to go. Also I need to make sure you have the right things packed."

"Yeah I know all the details. Go ahead and look over what I've got packed. It's good to have a second pair of eyes to help me out," I answered as Botan stood up.

The rest of the night passed with them keeping me company until they had to leave and I had to get some rest. I fell asleep faster than I had thought I would and jumped when the alarm clock suddenly went off. Completely anxious about what was going to happen, I got myself ready and took some time to meditate before leaving. I managed to get myself almost completely calm before I headed out to the meeting site. I slinked quietly through the trees and stopped at the spot without anyone seeing me. I scurried up a tree and sat down on a branch waiting for the others to show up.

It didn't take long before I heard Kuwabara growling at Yusuke for being late. I looked over my shoulder and saw all of them standing around. Hiei was staring intently at Yusuke and he suddenly initiated a swordfight to see Yusuke's skills. I watched in complete awe as they moved so quickly that it made me dizzy to watch. The almost blurred movements of Hiei's sword with so interesting to watch that I barely even thought of Yusuke who was dodging them all and I didn't until Hiei's sword was stopped by Yusuke's hand.

So then Yusuke introduced their fifth member and it was decided that Hiei and Yusuke would pick up any slack that was there. I smiled at the fact that those two were so dead set on the fighting. They were definitely the two that I would absolutely hate to be put against. Kurama, Kuwabara, and Genkai were formidable opponents as well but their cases were different. Hiei and Yusuke were the kind of fighters that sent chills down my spine, but then it also made me feel better because even if they wouldn't admit it, they would watch out for their fellow comrades. I smiled.

It was then that they noticed they were still one member short.

"Has anyone seen, Rin? She should've come by now," Kurama said looking around curiously. He met Hiei's eyes for a moment and Hiei looked off to the side. I smiled and locked my knees around the tree branch I was sitting on. I allowed myself to fall backwards and hung there upside down with one of my chakram in my hand. I aimed it at Hiei's shoulder and waited for my body to stop swinging. The second it did I launched my weapon at him with all the strength I could pull together and listened to it whistle as it cut through the air. Hiei brought his hand up in a flash and caught the chakram right where my hand always was when I threw it. He spun his hand around and sent it soaring right back to me. I unlocked my knees and flipped over catching it and kept my bag right by my side. My feet touched the ground softly and I spun so I was facing the group.

"What's up guys?" I smiled putting my weapon back on my hip. A few snickers from Yusuke and Kuwabara greeted me while Hiei sniffed in annoyance. Kurama gave me a proper greeting while the 'masked fighter' stared at me. A devious smirk curled my lips and I looked at her saying, "Come on now, Genkai. Don't give me that look."

"Don't get cocky and keep your mouth shut. None of them know and let's keep it that way," Genkai answered calmly to me. I shrugged and looked back to the others.

"I was beginning to wonder if you just wouldn't show," Hiei said looking back over at the boat instead of me.

"Why would I punk out now? After all, I went through two months of training straight from hell. There's no way I'd let that happen and then not show up," I answered calmly as we turned to look at the boat, "A certain slave-driver trainer wouldn't have let me live it down either."

Kurama looked over at me and said, "You have seemed to have gotten a bit stronger. You'll be a more formidable opponent than you have before."

"Nothing compared to you guys though. Anyway, let the games begin!" I said as we all turned and boarded the boat. We all moved over to the side and Yusuke leaned against the railing. I sat down on the railing and calmly looked over the ship with the rest of the group. They all were so absorbed in the demons around them that none of them, save maybe Genkai, saw Yusuke begin nodding off except me. I watched him carefully and noticed that he became a lot more relaxed than he had previously been. I smirked and turned my attention to the pirate-looking dude as he began his announcement of the preliminaries. I watched curiously as the ring rose out of the ship and demons began jumping onto it.

"Hey, Urameshi! Here's your chance to show your new stuff!" Kuwabara said confidently as he looked back at his friend. He nearly freaked when he saw Yusuke asleep and everyone else seemed caught off guard. Hiei and Kurama glanced over at me with looks of annoyance and surprise, but I merely smiled as Genkai began making her way towards the ring for us.

"Kick some ass!" I shouted to her causing the rest of our group to look.

"Guess that's settled. He's going. At least we'll get to see what he can do," Hiei said in monotone as his eyes narrowed on Genkai.

"It's surprising how they automatically assume you're a guy. You think by the air you have around you that at least Yusuke or Kuwabara would notice," I said as Genkai took her place among the demons.

"Those blockheads are lucky they even found the boat. Let them think what they like. It doesn't change anything," Genkai answered as all the demons moved to pounce on her.

"I knew it! They're gaining up on him!" Kuwabara shouted in outrage.

"No room to run! He'll be smashed flat!" Kurama stated in surprise. There was no doubt he was thinking about how they were going to lose a member when the tournament hadn't even started yet. I smiled as I kicked my feet and waited for Genkai to hit them all back without even touching them. It was an easy win.

"And now comes the fun part," I placed my feet against the railing and angled myself carefully. I made sure my chakram were easily accessed and calmly waited for the rebellion amongst the demons. It didn't take long at all and they all leapt at us in pure anger than mere humans and demon traitors would stand against them and win.

Hiei and Kurama leapt into action quickly dispatching of their enemies so swiftly that I almost didn't see what happened. I leapt into the air to meet the demons that came at me and pulled my chakram out. I rotated in the air sliced the ones I could around me before throwing some flames around me to roast the others. I jumped off the back of one of the demons and blocked the strong punch that the last demon threw at me without me seeing. The force flipped me backwards and I wrapped my hands around the railing. Without missing a beat, I spun on the railing and landed with both of my feet placed on his shoulder blades. I smiled at him and said, "Hope you have a nice swim."

With that I pushed off with everything I had and sent him headfirst into the water. I landed on the ring and watched as Yusuke beat the sorry excuses for demons in his sleep. I laughed slightly before bringing out my chakram to fight off some remaining demons. I made sure that I kept myself from standing in one place for too long and was always spinning so I could see my opponents from all sides. It took some hits in the arms for me to get the timing just right, but once I had it down none of the demons could land a hit on me. I back flipped into the air and called forth a small current of lightning to my hands. I closed my eyes for a moment and threw the lightning down into the ring causing it to shock all the demons' nervous systems. They began to collapse on the ground, but I threw my chakram to finish them all off before landing among them. I looked down at my hand for a moment and saw that the lightning just lightly shocked the nerves in my hand. They quickly returned back to normal and I looked over at the others who had just finished off their enemies like I had.

Hiei and Kurama were the only ones who seemed to notice that I had used a lightning attack and I could tell they were watching me really carefully. Not wanting to draw anymore attention to myself I put away my chakram and jumped over to where they were at. I smiled and said, "Well, that was a nice little warm up wasn't it?"

"Hardly worth the effort," Hiei sniffed looking at me with a straight face. I looked away and felt a slight blush hit my face. He didn't have to keep rubbing it in that I wasn't anywhere near as strong as them……jerk.

"You are aware I heard that, aren't you?"

"Well, I'm going to the front of the boat for the rest of the ride since we took out the others. Bye," I quickly said retreating away from the group. I moved away from the others and stopped at the very front part of the boat. I sat down on the railing and looked down at my hand in thought. Apparently I could use lightning without it hurting me, but if I used it at length or something happened to me, my hands would be rendered useless for only god knows how long. I sighed and opened and closed my fist experimentally. It was kind of like playing Russian roulette. You may have gotten lucky the first time, but there was a lot more danger the longer you played.

"Lightning attacks, huh?" a voice behind me said carefully being sure not to scare me. I looked back curiously and saw Genkai standing there with her arms behind her back. I blinked for a moment and then moved so I was standing in front of her. She looked me over for a moment before saying, "You could be able to use lightning easier if you learned how to control the nerves in your arms and body. Lightning is a naturally dangerous element and control over it takes discipline. Of course training with that sword wielding demon takes discipline as well."

"No that just takes the ability to get over being in pain. Hehe," I laughed as I looked over my hand in thought.

"It's the same difference. You have to understand that you should either navigate the lightning around your nerves or you should temporarily shut them down and trust your demon energy to guide the attack through."

"Come on now, Genkai. The chances are I'll be killed in this tournament before I can do that," I sighed shaking my head. I looked at her for a moment and then flashed to the scenes I remembered in the anime and manga. Images of Genkai lying on the ground bloody and unmoving flashed through my head and I froze completely. I was going to be there when she actually was killed. Sure she was going to be brought back, but it was the principle of it all! I swayed on my feet slightly and leaned against the railing for support.

"You don't have to worry about that. I already know," Genkai said as she walked closer to me so there was a smaller chance of us being overheard, "This is the final battle for me. That's another reason you should keep quiet. Now, I'll teach you everything I can about controlling your lightning before that happens. Just don't expect me to ignore the sleeping idiot that we have to call our team captain."

"Thanks, Genkai……" I looked at her gratefully and sat down against the railing for a moment. I closed my eyes and said, "What…if I said I……I might know when "it" happens?"

Genkai was silent for a moment and then sat down beside me to look up at the sky, "I wouldn't say a thing. I don't want to know anymore about it that necessary and I don't feel the urge to put you on the spot to tell me something that cause your mind distress. I'm old, Rin. Things happen and we have to just accept them. Never try to fight the natural order of things unless it's to prove something you'll die for."

"You're one of the wisest women I know. I'll hold you to all of that," I sighed looking up at the sky. I smiled slightly and thought about how much Genkai did seem to guide me. Maybe, just maybe, she might be someone else I could look up to…and maybe she could help me change who I was into someone even better. After sitting in silence for a while, I decided it was time that I should say something just to lighten the mood. So I looked at Genkai and said, "I have a question. Is it hard to breathe with that cloth wrapped all around your face? I mean I'd probably die."

"……that is one of the stupidest questions you have ever asked," Genkai said with a look that matched what she said. I laughed and I swear I could've heard Genkai offer some sign of amusement at the comment. I looked back up to the sky and was kind of surprised when Genkai whispered, "We've just gained an audience."

"How many?"

"All three of them. They're watching from different points, but they can hear us if we talk normally. Whispering is lost on them."

"Hardly fair. Your mouth is covered. I have to watch myself," I said trying not to move my mouth at all. I shook my head and stood up once again to look out over the water. I stared out at it for a moment and said loud enough for all of them to hear, "I know that there's a snowball's chance in hell that I'll be able to stand up to any of the demons we fight, but I won't hold you guys back. I'll do whatever I can to keep up."

"Just don't get yourself caught up in something you know you won't win. We might just let you die," Genkai answered as I swore I heard a smile hit her face.

"If that's the case then I'll just die then," I laughed knowing that it was a stupid thing to do. Death was just as real here as it was in my world. There was no reason to laugh at it and I should've been slapped on the spot, but instead I looked out and saw that we had come close to Hangman Island. Kurama and Hiei calmly walked up as Kuwabara came up carrying Yusuke. He set him down on the ground and all of us conscious looked out at the island. I suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching me and I pointed my and out at the island like it was a gun. I stared calmly ahead and said, "I'm coming Morte and I'm not going to be kicked around. Prepare to loose!"

It was then something in my head snapped and my entire body gave a jolt as if I was shocked. Then it all shut down and I felt my back slam against the ground before blacking out.

-------------

"Just had to make it dramatic didn't you?"

"Of course. Your comrades are all huddled around you in worry. You're such a burden to them, aren't you? Can't even stand against your own enemy."

"Shut up Morte! I'm not letting you beat me anymore and I refuse to become another burden for them to bear! You're not winning this one! Not if I have anything to say about it."

"…you have gotten stronger. You're recovering from the jolt a lot quicker than I had anticipated. I'll deliver the message now then. You're going to be facing my special forces in the ring. I hope you provide us some entertainment. I brought them all out just for you."

"Go to hell!"

"Ha! We'll see if you're still talking like that when you get in the ring."

"SHUT UP!"

------------

"Damn…why can't I stand her attacks?" I muttered darkly bring my hand up to hold my head. I heard a few sighs of relief and I opened my eyes to see that Kurama and Kuwabara were over me while Genkai and Hiei were close, but giving me room to breathe. I sat up and rubbed my neck saying, "Well, alright then. Something tells me she didn't like what I had to say. I better watch myself or all that training I did will end up being for nothing."

"What did she say to you?" Kurama asked curiously as he helped me stand up.

"Oh nothing new. She told me I was going to basically die and that I was facing off against demons she handpicked for me. So, that means all my matches are determined ahead of time. Some fun."

"Overconfidence will be one's downfall," Genkai said looking back at the island.

"Yeah…but knowing my luck she'll manage to escape that fate," I said crossing my arms slightly and stared at the water around the boat. It wasn't going to be long until we landed and I knew right off the bat that things were going to be pretty rough.

Then again…that's what made me excited about it all.

-------------

The boat landed soon after that little episode and I noticed that we were looked at as new meat when we were making our way to the place we'd be staying. I kept my eyes wide open and managed to catch sight of some of the opponents that were fought in the manga and anime. I did not, however, see any of Morte's handpicked minions. That was a bit of a relief to me. One less thing to worry about…for now.

My mind went into autopilot as we moved off to our room and served something to drink. I was standing by the window after getting my drink and carefully watched the doorway. It wasn't really fair to the others that I knew what was going to happen, but I sure as heck didn't want to be caught off guard. Despite my efforts I still was. I blinked for a moment and allowed myself to look away while I gave a small yawn. When I turned back the cup was gone and Rinku was sitting on the mantle enjoying himself as he watched us. My heart seemed to flip in my chest and I turned to doorway to see Zeru standing there as well. Both of them seemed to notice that I saw them and they looked at me causing me to look down at my drink.

Damn. They're too fast for me. This can't mean anything good for me at all.

"Odd…there's a cup missing," Kurama's voice snapped me back to reality and I looked over at Kuwabara telling us that he hadn't taken his. It was then that Rinku decided to loudly slurp the drink and alert us that he was there. Tension instantly hit the room and my comrades began wondering how he got into the room.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Rinku, team special ops. My crew, the Jolly Devil Six, will be your opponents in the first round tomorrow," Rinku said taking his hat off to us. I cocked my head to the side slightly and looked over the kid. I could easily sense he was pretty strong and that he didn't mean any harm to us at all. In fact, the only thing I felt was playful intentions. He reminded me greatly of the kids back home I'd baby-sit and I knew there was something about him that made him ok in my book after he wasn't our enemy.

"Jolly Devil Six? Isn't it only five to a team? Not counting the honorary fighters?"

Rinku then proceeded to make Kuwabara, along with the rest of us, look clearly idiotic and told us that he could've beaten all of us in an elimination match. I couldn't help but let a laugh escape me and he looked over at me curiously, "Are you saying you could beat me?"

"No, not at all," I sighed shaking my head slightly. I locked my eyes with his and let them narrow slightly saying, "I'm just saying you and every other demon have underestimated a certain element of my comrades that will bring some pain later. If you don't believe me now you'll see it in the ring. Hopefully, it'll become clear to everyone that we don't plan on losing."

Rinku's face soured for a moment before turning to a smirk and he looked over me for a moment. He began to say something, but Zeru cut him off. Everyone freaked even more and after a few words the two left. I tightened my grip on my cup so much that it shattered in my hands and I silently cleaned it up. Kuwabara seemed shaken by what happened while the other two demons of our group seemed on high alert. Genkai was calm and I moved off to my room saying goodnight to them. Once I was completely alone I sat down on the bed and struggled to calm myself as much as I could. There was only one thing I could do now.

And that was not to lose my match tomorrow when it came.

With that thought in my head, I laid down on the bed and fell into an uneasy sleep. I could only wait for the morning to come and the fights to begin.

-------------

ME: Well, there's another chapter. Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I feel like a very bad authoress. I'll try to update more often.

Hiei: Something tells me that you're going to be a very happy person when you can start typing out the actual fight scenes in the Dark Tournament.

ME: Of course! I'm going to have so much fun! VIOLENCE! (Watching some people inch away from me) Oh come on! You all know you love it! Fine. I guess my violent nature is better put of toward Resident Evil.

Hiei: Since when have you liked Resident Evil? Last I checked you were on Tales of the Abyss! And what happened the .hack//GU games?

ME: ……I like it. Deal with it, but trust me. Yu-Yu Hakusho will ALWAYS come first to me. I swear on that! Trinity Blood takes a strong second with .hack lining up at third. Hee hee! Okie dokie people! Please review!