The restaurant was busy and packed with demons and a small mixture of humans and those from the Spirit World.
"Koenma what are you doing here?" Yusuke with Keiko in tow came over to them. "And how do you know Isae?"
"We just met," Koenma explained. "Besides I couldn't leave a lovely woman like her be partnered up with the likes you." Hoshimi walked off to inspect all the food. She came back to talk to her team.
They complimented her on her beauty. She thanked them to get to the point. She pointed out which foods to stay away from.
"Isae this is a fine establishment, why are you trying to keep us on a diet?" Chu crossed his arms. "We even have to stay away from certain beverages."
"She's trying to keep you in the tournament," Genkai walked up with a plate in her hands. "Those perishables have been tampered with to make you weak and could harm you enough to not show up to the match."
"But those are the foods that looks most appetizing," Rinku's stomach gurgled.
Sasuga had a plate in her hand with all the other foods. She stopped as she spotted Rinku "You're in the tournament?" She teased. "I hope you put up a better fight this time." Rinku followed her as she left. He hadn't seen her in a while.
Koto, Juri, and Ruka were in the hall as well. They whispered to one another as they saw Jin, Toya, and Suzuki. The girls got in line around them striking up a conversation.
Hoshimi sniffed the air as she looked around. It was odd that there was coupling. It was a demon tournament, there should be electricity in the air due to all the tension. She let Koenma lead the way as she examined the room. As she was near the tables she found the culprit, a purple widow ambrosia, a demon plant.
"What kind of plant is that?" Koenma saw her touching the plant. He went to reach for the plant as well.
"A Purple Widow Ambrosia," Hoshimi grabbed his hand to stop him from touching it. "That's the reason why it's easier for everyone to couple up." She looked around the room. Demons were more intimate then they should be. "There should be tension and holding one another back but it's at ease. Who is behind this?" She noticed that Koenma was looking around. "Who are you looking for?"
"You're right, everyone is coupled," Koenma skipped over the subject.
"Are you hoping that you are not spotted with me?" Hoshimi kept on. If he only knew. Hehe. Such a cutie. I could just pinch his cheeks!
Koenma gulped. "I am looking for a friend. She never showed up. I have a private box to watch the competition, hoping she would come and watch with me. Not that you aren't great company."
"Oh," Hoshimi understood. "I hope she shows up. It seems that you are very fond of her. Or are you just fond of beautiful women?" She kept teasing him.
"Well, you got me there," Koenma chuckled out of embarrassment.
In another room, the remaining Black Book Club was watching the fighters in the banquet hall on screens. Gondawara was the head of the club. He narrowly escaped the falling stadium. Since Gonzo Tarukane and Butajiri were dead it was easy to rebuild the stadium since Gondawara didn't have to pay them, he found ways to inherit all the money. Gondawara was talking to another original member of the club, a bearded bespectacled man.
"Who do you think will win this tournament?" Gondawara was smoking a cigar. "My bet is on that team over there." Gondawara nodded his head to a screen.
"That team there," the bearded man spoke. "They will win."
"That team won't win. My team will. That blond girl with that brunette guy is Hoshimi in disguise. She's the multibillion dollar demon of our dreams remember," Gondawara smoked a cigar while talking. "She's smart enough to have eluded us but since she beat out those bounty hunters, we can use them to kidnap her. We just won't tell them who she is exactly. She could have stayed hidden but now that she put both her names as the team name, we know that its's really her. Sayko started to lure demons for us to fight and do what we want with them. On one occasion, he found out about her through their hushed conversations. A silver fox with nine tails that could create an unlockable lock. Sayko almost had her when she came to set the other demons free. She was in his clutches."
"Every demon is after her," the bearded man pointed out. "I remember. Those demons said that they wished to have had her skill of hiding instead of being caught. Those nine tails also bring about an abundant progeny. I heard some demons harvest their tales to help build up their armies."
"Yes, but no one knows that she's in our grasp," Gondawara laughed. "No one will know until we have her. Besides, that Urameshi kid and his team didn't get a chance to be in the tournament which is good news for us."
The two laughed as they watched the screens in safety.
That night while strolling around, Kurama spotted Hoshimi preforming Kata in a small meadow surrounded by trees. He liked watching her when she practiced at home. It was soothing.
"I have come to find you better by knowing that you hide your aura," Hiei came over to him.
"She may be too fast even for you," Kurama chuckled.
"We won't know that until I try," Hiei stepped out into the open.
"Hiei wait," Kurama walked after him.
Hoshimi finished up her kata before speaking. "Come to train?"
"Come to see who is faster," Hiei took the opposite side of her.
"Kata?" Hoshimi bowed.
Hiei nodded. He ran to her as Kurama stayed on the sidelines watching them. She dodged him as he tried to punch her. Hoshimi countered his attacks. It was a blur to onlookers. Kurama sighed as he shook his head. Hiei's attacks were a bit slower than hers. It came to be that she won. The two were out of breath.
"You're fast but not by much, I'll keep training and I'll be faster than you in no time," Hiei smiled.
"I am at my weakest in this form," Hoshimi stretched herself. "We will try again in my true form once I am ready and then we will see who is the fastest. Good night." She strolled towards the hotel.
"It would be very interesting to see her true form," Hiei watched her go.
"Yes, it would be," Kurama nodded.
"Any speculation to whom she might be?" Hiei started to walk back off to the hotel. Kurama caught up with him. Kurama gave him a smirk. "I thought so."
Team Isae won their matches to get into the semifinals. There were no other attempts to kidnap Hoshimi. However, Hoshimi took this time to spy on the committee members. Since she was skilled in illusions, she hid herself as a young demon child. She followed some of the demons to the committee room.
She tried to spy who was the head honchos. They were discussing the semifinalists. Their scents were familiar but the one she wanted wasn't there.
"All our teams we bet on have made it," the bearded man was happy. "After we win, the money goes to us, and then we wait for fifteen years. I kind of like this year by year tournament. We should make it annual."
"If we make it annual, then the fighters won't care of for it and there goes our profit," Gondawara crossed his arms. "Besides, once we have that beautiful demoness Hoshimi, we'll sell her skills for a high price, and then sell her body during the night after we have fun with her." Gondawara and the bearded one laughed.
"What about the Demon King Tournament?" Another member asked them. "It's this year and whoever is the new king may want her. It may become trouble for us if we have her."
"I didn't think about that," Gondawara scratched his head.
"They may try to get after her but remember she can make locks, if she makes a giant vault to keep us in, then no demon could get to her," the bearded man reassured.
Those voices, Hoshimi thought to herself. They sound so familiar. I just need to see their faces to see how they aged.
"Hey you little girl," a demon spotted her. "What are you doing in here?"
Hoshimi started to wail and cry. "I lost my mommy!" Tears started to run and she rubbed her eyes.
"Let's go this way," the demon took her hand and led her out. Kurama was about to pick the lock when demon came out with the child. "Huh?"
Hoshimi saw who it was. "Mommy!" She ran to him. Kurama instinctively crouched down to pick her up. Hoshimi hugged him. "Thank you!"
Kurama turned around back down to the hotel. Hoshimi transformed into the human disguise as she was still in his arms. She transformed while she kissed him on the cheek.
"You came at just the right time," Hoshimi giggled.
"Isae!" Kurama blinked while holding her. She hopped down from his hold.
"That's not my true form," she walked away. "Don't you want to hear the things I found out?" She turned back to him. He hurried to catch up her. Hoshimi told him about the humans she had heard.
"Humans still," Kurama pondered. "And they want to profit off of us demons. My suspicions are confirmed. We must tell the rest." Hoshimi nodded the two got everyone together to explain to them what is happening. The ones missing was the rest of the girls. Hoshimi didn't want them to get involved. They formed a plan of action to keep the Black Book Club from winning.
Team Isae won their match in the semifinals. They watched the last match to see who their competitor was. The team that won was brutal and strong. S Class demons for sure. As Hoshimi and crew headed out of the stadium, Sahar grabbed her from the group. He shoved her up against the wall. Sahar placed his arm above her head and leaned in.
"Sahar," Hoshimi looked into his purple eyes as they shimmered. "This is a surprise."
"Isae, you are an interesting young woman, but I have come to warn you," he looked back into hers. "The Dark Tournament Committee has placed a bounty on your head. A bounty three times of mine. After your final match no matter the outcome, my team is coming after you."
"Weren't all of you going to come after me anyways?" Hoshimi was curious.
"I was the only one going to come after you, the rest were going to let you go since we lost anyways," Sahar chuckled as his tricks were of no use on her. "You seem the type to keep the will to fight. If I catch you, you'd want to escape and I'd let you to only catch you again."
"Well aren't you the romantic," Hoshimi gave him a blank stare.
"I thought you were going to wait until after the tournament to catch her," Kurama's voice echoed through the hallway. The two turned to his voice. Kurama had Hiei and Yusuke behind him. Sahar leaned off of the wall from her. "You don't need to be so close." Kurama grabbed Hoshimi by her hand and pulled her to his side.
"I'll warn you just like I warned her," Sahar glared at him. "We will be coming after her when the last match ends, doesn't matter the outcome. Hide her well, it doesn't matter where, but keep her hidden."
"Oh, it's gotten more serious has it?" Yusuke crossed his arms.
"If I was after her, it would be more playful, but now that the Dark Tournament Committee has placed a high bounty and we have been commissioned to go after her," Sahar explained.
"So now they are on Plan C how encouraging?" Hiei had his hands in his pockets.
"Remember, we will come right after the last match, I'll try to keep them at bay as best I can," Sahar walked over to her. "Keep yourself safe." He then walked past them.