A/N: Soo, here is the newest chapter! I'm sorry about the last 2 or so... they've been kinda lackluster and filler-esque. So I promise to be much better! This is a cliffie...and I'm kinda breaking my promise to give the next chapter within 24 hours... Cause I'm going away for the weekend! YAY! Partying! So I found this picture of Hiei on deviantart...and decided that it is the perfect representation of how I want him to look in this ficcy.

http:/browse. deviantart. com/?q=Hiei&order=9&offset=48#/d1nciux

Just take out the spaces! HE IS SO PRETTY! :3 The artist did a fantastic job! AHH! SO PRETTY! (I'm just a little obsessed...)

P.S. Another down only... 10 more to go.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own YYH. Meh. Enjoy.

Chapter 11.

"PUUUUU!"

Reika let loose a startled scream when something small, fuzzy, and blue smacked into her. Its shock of black hair blinded her momentarily, causing her to shove it away blearily. She rolled off of her bed and stared wide eyed down at the little creature. Her bedroom door burst open just as she bent down and picked it up, her father and his best friends standing there open mouthed as she crooned sweetly to it.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry, cutie! I didn't mean to hit you!" She cuddled the penguin like critter to her chest and purred against it, her eyes bright with excitement. Yusuke stepped forwards and coughed to get her attention, feeling slightly miffed that his spirit beast was getting more love than him.

"I umm, this is Puu, Reika. He's my spirit beast." Reika looked up at her father and turned bright red.

"Oh. So this is who you meant yesterday. I thought he reminded me of you..." her voice drifted off when she saw Hiei and Kurama standing behind her father. She inched sideways a bit until she was hidden behind him then peeked over his shoulder.

"Get out you perverts, I'm in my underwear!" she screeched, glaring avidly at the two blank eyed demons. Kurama blushed slightly and turned around, a chuckle escaping his lips. Hiei shrugged nonchalantly and turned his back on her his muttered statement drawing an enraged shriek from her.

"I was not giving a free show, you asshat! Get the fuck out!" Yusuke shoved the two demons out of the room and grinned at Reika over his shoulder. You have ten minutes before you need to be down in the main yard, we'll begin your training then."

The main yard was about a fifty meters squared, and Yusuke, Hokushin and Ryou were standing in the middle looking fearsome. Reika glided up to them and stopped a couple feet away, a look of query on her pointed face.

"Kurama told me about your training with Genkai and how well you were doing. He said there's something missing though, that you're struggling to control your body and your power. So, we're here to find that missing piece, and to strengthen you as well." Reika dropped Puu to the ground after giving him a little scratch and nodded to her father. She noticed Hiei and Kurama nearby, sitting on a bench at the edge of the square. Kurama was chatting amiably to the Jaganshi, who was watching Reika with a hawk's eye. Reika turned her attention back to her father just in time to block a punch from him. She stepped back and thought seriously about what was happening here. She blocked several more of his hits, completely aware of the fact that he was using about a fiftieth of his speed and strength against her. She tossed his jacket aside and brought her hands up, spreading her legs just enough to gain balance. The fight went on, basic sparring, nothing flashy, nothing too hard for her to deal with. A fist came flying through the air out of nowhere, and Reika felt a flash of anger surge through her. The fist grazed her cheek as she bent backwards, her eyes flashing sapphire. Her anger propelled her forwards, her leg lashing out and catching Yusuke in the gut. His brown eyes widened slightly in surprise, then narrowed as he grinned evilly. He grabbed her leg in a vice grip and threw her to the ground. Her yelp was music to his ears, but the kick she delivered to his crotch negated any and all triumph he felt. Groaning vehemently he watched her roll away and launch herself to her feet, throwing her braid over her shoulder. Next thing she knew all three of them were attacking her, her body barely able to keep up with half the hits to her torso. She snarled angrily when one of them grabbed her braid and pulled her off balance. A fist struck her cheek, pain blooming rapidly across the tender skin near her mouth. Blood trickled gently down her chin, smearing across her face when she rubbed angrily at the wound. She looked up at her father and smiled softly, malevolently, her eyes flashing sapphire. Energy burst from her chest, a radiant bubble that shoved the three demons back, singeing their clothes and skin. Her power cut off abruptly, she fell to her knees with a grunt, staring up at the three of them.

"What the fuck was that?" She demanded, pointing emphatically at the stoic Hokushin. Yusuke placed a hand on the demon's arm and smiled at his daughter.

"Obviously they were trying to distract you from the fight, Reika. You're not going to be fighting single opponents all the time, and I wanted to see if you can keep a cool head... obviously not." Reika stood, placed her hands on her hips and gave him a distinctly disgruntled glare.

"You're one to talk, Dad. You broke our kitchen table half a dozen times when I was sixteen." Yusuke had the grace to look slightly embarrassed, but huffed dismissively anyway.

"Only because you brought six different boys home in a four month time span, Reika." Her skin flushed rose and Reika stomped a foot.

"Fine. Point taken. I have a temper, I'm sorry. Now can we please do something productive?" She knew her voice was slightly whiney, and more than a little bitchy. But damnit, she wanted to do something with her finicky powers.

"You're in great shape, Rei. I can tell you trained hard with Genkai. But your powers... they flare and retreat, constantly. It will take time for you to harness them dependently. In the meantime we will keep training." The young woman let out a heartfelt sigh and muttered something incomprehensible.

"Fine. I'm used to running around covered in bruises by now."

For the next week and a half Yusuke basically pummelled Reika into the ground. She trained five hours a day, ate questionable Makai food for about three hours of the day, and tried her damndest to get her powers to behave for the rest. She kept telling herself sleep was for the weak, considering the demons could go days without it quite easily, but damnit, she was tired! She walked down the main road to the dining hall, ignored the looks from the demons eating there, and shovelled the so called 'meat' into her mouth at a dangerous rate. She coughed viciously when Kurama sat down next to her abruptly, his cheerful greeting startling her. He smacked her on the back a couple of times until she could breath, his laughter a humiliating accompaniment to her panic.

"You seem to be doing pretty well in the training exercises, the demons are talking quite glowingly about your abilities, despite your human handicap." Reika muttered something about giving them a handicap and pushed a vegetable into her mouth that looked vaguely like pink broccoli.

"Your father received some bad news this morning. Enki died the night before last, supposedly of natural causes." Rei's gaze snapped up to her uncle, suspicion bright in her eyes.

"What does this have to do with me?" She asked stubbornly, shoving more food in her mouth. Kurama bit back a sigh at her obvious crankiness. The dark circles under her eyes bespoke of insomnia, and her normally gold toned skin was clammy and pale.

"We are attending his funeral tonight; Kokou has decided to bury Enki here next to Raizen."

The girl pushed the plate away from herself and yawned.

"Fine. I guess these mysterious assassins got another one of us. We need to get a move on and find these bastards instead of sitting around training." Kurama fidgeted in his seat a bit, wondering if he should tell Reika just what her father's people were up too while she was training.

"We are searching for them. Hiei and I, along with several of your father's people have been searching for answers. We've found several leads, but Enki's death has put a stop to our plans. Without his guidance many of the factions in Makai are flying out of control. It's hard to get answers when everyone's attention is on the upcoming tournament."

"Seriously! Why didn't anyone tell me they were investigating? Geez, what am I, chopped liver? I bet dad has something to do with this!" Reika launched herself off the bench and stomped 'gracefully' across the yard towards the barracks. Kurama watched her go and wondered just what kind of storm he had sent in Yusuke's direction.

"DAD! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Yusuke paused mid-sentence, a grin stretching his lips.

"Guess Kurama let it slip that we've been doing some digging without her..." The enraged hurricane that was his daughter came striding around the corner, her thundercloud expression making his grin even wider.

"I'm sorry, Rei, but we couldn't have you involved," Yusuke blurted, hoping to head off the angry tirade he was about to receive. Reika glanced around the sparse room for a moment, taking in the sunlight streaming through the window, Hokushin sitting on a chair by the fireplace, and Hiei leaning casually against the wall, his eyes on the scenery outside.

"As Spirit detective I should have been included in the investigation, dad. It is the reason Koenma sent me here. If I can't report something back to him he won't hesitate to send the SDF to extract me." Her father hummed softly his wide shoulders lifting in an uncaring shrug.

"He can do whatever he wants; the SDF has no power here. There are less than fifty of them, and hundreds of demons above B class in our ranks. Not to mention Hiei, Kurama and myself." Reika stepped towards him, her eyes critical.

"What's so special about the three of you, hmm? You speak about yourselves as if you're above the rest, stronger than the rest. What rank do you hold?" Yusuke glanced as Hiei, who seemed to be listening raptly but pretending not to be interested...typical asshole that he was.

"We need to keep your presence low key, Rei. If everyone in Makai knew an agent from Reikai was here, investigating them, judging them... they wouldn't be happy. Not to mention as a human you're much more fragile than the rest of us, and as my daughter, you're an even larger target. Just stay low and under the radar and we'll get through this." Reika leaned forwards and smacked him in the chest as hard as she could, feeling completely put out when he didn't even flinch.

"I need to be a part of this dad, it's my job! I'm not saying you have to run every single decision by me, just let me know what the results are. Now I'm going to go have a shower and get dressed. What's appropriate for a Makai funeral?" Yusuke blinked a couple times, taken aback by the abrupt change in conversation.

"Anything really. We aren't big on formality in Ildren."

"Fine. Come get me when everything is ready."

"Oh God, yes." Reika sank into the disturbingly pleasant heat of the baths with a deep, heartfelt groan. Her head tilted back against the wall, arms propped up on the ledge, feet fluttering in the warm current. The steam clouded the air around her just enough for her to feel secluded and content. She lay there lazily for several minutes, allowing the mineral enriched water to bathe her cuts and bruises in healing energy. Dirt and blood sloughed off her skin easily as she ran a cloth along her limbs, picked the dirt out from under her nails, and washed her long dark hair. She felt amazingly refreshed when she got out, her hands clenching around the rope of her hair as she squeezed the water out. She towelled herself off briskly, lingering on the scars that graced her arms, legs, and torso. Humming discontentedly she tossed the towel into her hamper and glided nude through her suite. Hokushin had gone to a local market a couple of days ago and purchased some clothing for her. She slid a pair of black linen trousers on, a deep purple tunic, and a wide navy belt around her waist. She left her hair loose and unbound around her shoulders, and donned a pair of flat, navy sandals. She sat down on the edge of her bed and gazed out her window, eyes vacant. She hadn't been to a funeral since her mother's. Almost two years now... and still the pain was like a vast pit in the center of her chest. She tried her damnedest to not dwell on her mother, but the mental cluster fuck that her brain had become after that demon penetrated her mind brought it all to the fore. Her chest rattled as she took a deep breath, her tears clogging in her throat. A knock on her door drew her from her reverie; she brushed angrily at her teary eyes and strode across the room to open it. Hiei stood on the other side, dressed in his usual loose black clothing and white bandana.

"Your father asked me to fetch you. Come, Kokou and her entourage have arrived." Reika shut the door behind her and followed his slightly taller form down the hall. Everyone was gathered several kilometers from the city. Raizen's resting place was inset into a cliff side, bright orange flowers strewn in front of the headstone. A hole had been dug beside it, a coffin already resting inside the damp bleakness. Dozens of demons stood around the grave site, tears were already flowing, and Yusuke was conversing softly with a short, curvaceous blonde woman. She was drinking steadily from a large flask, her sobs making it increasingly difficult for her to drink. Reika walked up behind her father and wrapped an arm around his waist. He lifted an arm for her to duck under, wrapping said arm around her shoulders.

"Kokou, this is my daughter, Reika." Kokou glanced down at the lean girl and smiled tremulously.

"Hey, hun. Wow you sure look a lot like your grandfather." Reika glanced sideways at her father, whose smile looked slightly strained.

"Thanks," Reika murmured softly, brightening when she saw her red haired uncle sweep up to them. She left her father with a small hug and legged it over to her uncle.

"Who are all these people?" She asked softly, motioning to the gathered demons.

"They're Enki's friends and followers, many of them trained with him and Raizen years ago. They are here to mourn him together." Reika watched them all gather beside the grave; her father stood in front of them and started his speech. Reika couldn't really hear what he said, something about honour and justice, strength against adversity, and abounding humour and compassion. Kokou cried the entire time, her sobbing so loud that Yusuke had to nearly yell to be heard. Her father ended his speech and everyone clapped, drinks were passed around, and Reika was lost amongst the crowd. She backed up a bit, trying to ease her way out of the crowd. She smacked into something warm and solid, and familiar. She whirled around and caught the look of irritated amusement on Hiei's face before it smoothed out into indifference.

"Watch were your going, onna." Sniffing disdainfully Reika manoeuvred around him, her whiskey eyes pinned to the ground. She reached the far stone wall and leaned against it. A flicker of darkness from the corner of her vision drew her riveted attention. Her eyebrows drew together in a curious frown, her head tilted to the side. She let out a yelp when her entire body was suddenly ice cold. The flicker grew into a dark, wraith-like shape, just like her dream. She stepped forwards, intent on warning her father when arms wrapped around her, cutting off her breath. She gasped helplessly, batting at the hands around her fragile throat. An elbow to her attackers gut did nothing; all it did was make her vision go black for a moment. Reika fisted her hands at her side and allowed her fear to flood through her. Her power flared brightly, pushing her attacker back a bit. She opened her mouth and screamed, the high pitched note of terror slicing through the air. Her father turned to face her instantly, his brown eyes wide. Instant fury spread across his features, his lithe body propelled itself forwards. But it was too late; her attacker slammed the hilt of a knife into her temple, knocking her out. His arms swept around her and carried her back into a portal. Yusuke threw himself against the wall she had been leaning against, a raw scream breaking from his throat. The walls cracked beneath his anger, red energy leaping fitfully from his body. Kurama and Hiei stepped forwards and called to him, their voices dimming the anger momentarily.

"You need to keep a cool head Yusuke. Don't worry, we'll find her."

Hiei stepped up to his friend and placed a hand on his arm.

"I'll find her Yusuke. I promise." His pale hands reached up to untie his head band, the eye burst into lilac fire, the light illuminating his grim face. The rest of the funeral attendees paused as Hiei sat cross legged on the ground, his crimson eyes closed as he concentrated. Kokou watched him as she hugged Yusuke and muttered a promise to help him. Yusuke closed his eyes and clenched his fists in impotent fury.

"We have to find her; she's all I have left."